Out of the jaws of death
by Tzaotao
Summary: Finished. My take on what happens when Luffy escapes from Big Mom, viewpoint is from multible characters but Nami will have the vast majority, genre kinda varies, rated just to be safe, will be multible chapters, enjoy and RnR, Epilogue Chapter is now up, sorry for the long waiting time. For more reading look for the Sequel story "Blood ties like Iron Chains"
1. Chapter 1

**Out of the jaws of death**

How to get away from Charlotte Linlin? Happens second after chapter 869

* * *

The pounding was extreme.

Seeing Bege recieve it all was almost heartbreaking, not because he was likeable, but because Nami knew everyone else would recieve the same treatment if, or when, Big Mom tore a hole in Bege's fortress body.

looking around her, she could see that most had come to the same realisation, most were shiwering, except the Vinsmokes (not counting Judge, who were sweating bullets) who seemed to take it all in stride.

looking at her own, Nami couldn't help but be alarmed, Chopper and Carrot looked like they were ready to die from crying, Sanji puffed on his cigarette like a barnfire, Brook tried to remain calm but his teacup was shaking, spilling the warm contents all over his bony hand.

Jinbe was scratching his chin , trying to figure something out.

and Luffy was...

* * *

(outside)

Charlotte Katakuri stood stock still, his arms outstretched (even the one holding onto Brûlée), holding his various siblings and other combatants of the Big Mom Pirates back,

earning him more than his fair share of confused stares, but their disbelief was nothing compared to his own:

"No... no one is that crazy!" he said in an almost reverent tone,

not being able to believe what his kenbunskoku Haki was showing him of the imminent future...

* * *

(inside Bege)

"Where's Luffy?!" Nami looked about her frantically before the answer was pushed down over her eyes.

As soon as she felt the rim, she knew what he had done, placed his strawhat on her head as he sometimes did to calm her down and stop worrying.

As if by instinct, she also knew where to turn her head as soon as she'd pushed the hat up to clear her vision.

Luffy was marching straight for the wall, where the pounding was the strongest

"Hey Bege, Open up!"

"WHAT?! Are you Crazy?" Bege managed to scream through the pain

"I'm not dying here! I going to be PIRATE KING!"

As the pounding and shaking of his body resumed, Bege complied with a barely contained "Maniac..."

As the wall began to flow and morph, Nami almost couldn't believe what she was seeing, was her captain being a bigger moron than ever! Considering the two years she had been part of his crew, it went without saying that she could.

Jinbe tried to intercept Luffy's mad charge, but as soon as an opening appeared, luffy's feet left the floor and he was out of reach for the former Shichibukai.

But not of the enraged Yonko awaiting on the other side.

or rather She was within his reach as he screamed "Gum-gum gatling" at the top of his lungs , landing a storm of blows on the surprised, but unharmed, Yonko, ending with a "Gomu-gomu Kong Gun" that shook the fortress and managed to get Big Mom to Loose her grip on the walls that made up Bege's face.

Her grip lost, Big Mom fell like a thunderbolt, landing on the ground with a heavy thud that shook the entire Tower.

Luffy, instead of doing the logical thing, like jumping back into safety, landed not far from Big Mom and cracked his knuckles loudly

"Get up and lets get this done!" his words were spoken softly but with such a determination that one one doubted his sincerity and even the receeding rumble from Big Mom's fall didn't drown it out, leaving the big mom pirates and the people inside of Bege look at him in absolute shock.

and with that Bege gathered his wits about him and closed the Strawhat captains exit point.

* * *

(far out at sea)

As the Sun Pirates made their escape from Totto Land, Aladine was far from pleased as he looked out at the endless seas.

He knew that Jinbe was going to do something extremely dangerous in order for Strawhat Luffy to survive,

hopefully that didn't include sacrificing his own life before he even became a memeber of the Strawhat Pirates, whom he had practically prescribed a nearly mythical character and nobility, especially the navigator Nami for her stnace towards fishmen, even after her experiences with Arlong.

that was the very reason

Aladine's bad mood had already made him partially snap at Praline, for which he had been relegated to the bow of the ship by his rather displeased wife, whom had already begun to reconsider the punishment. Aladine didn't mind since his wife could get quite clingy at times, and it helped him focus on someting else for a while,

like the empty Horizon.

A Horizon that he found was not so empty afterall,

as he spotted a large sail appear amidst the rolling waves, a jolly Roger proudly placed on the Square fabric, boasting to the World that the ship carried pirates,

Aladine could also hear a faint sound, a chant as the Vessel came closer

"All Hands on deck, we've got company, Get Wadatsumi to come up from the Deeps, we might need him soon!"

amidst the frantic responses of "AY AY captain" and Praline's "Darling, get away from there!",

Aladine heard the chant Again, closer and clearer this time:

"ROW! ROW! ROW!" the chant went as it turned from a whisper to a roar, followed by a strange "Whomever doesn't pull their weight eat the mush!" az shout nthat only made the rowing more frantic, but no less disciplined.

As he saw the ship approach theirs at an alarming speed, Aladine took in the sight,

the skull at the bow bode ill, but not so much as the sheer size of the thing,

slim as it was, the ship could still easily have housed Wadatsumi and then some,

and the crew seemed only to need two pair of oars to make it moce...

"Get Wadatsumi up from the depts immediatly" Aladine roared as he unfastened his trident

"Prepare for a rough fight!"

* * *

(Outside, on the rooftop of Whole CAke Chateau, Totto Land)

Big Mom began to rise,

the fall having done nothing,

the blows, nothing,

the barrage of blows hadn't even managed to make her anger worse.

regardless, as she shook the dust off of her body, few people upon the seas would have dared to think of Big Mom's rage as something capable of being worse.

Steam was practically fuming out of her ears, her eyes were bloodshot, pupils the size of rice grains, nostrils flaring and her teeth gnashing like a regiment of craftsmen just scraping Flintstone over rough files, producing about as many sparks aswell.

in short, even Whitebeard would have given the large woman a wide berth at that moment.

Yet Luffy didn't have the luxury of that opportunity at the moment.

All he could do,

was stand his ground,

as the Yonko started her enraged charge towards him...

* * *

(Inside)

Aside from Bege's panting and Chiffon's worryingly fuzzing over her Husband; Silence reigned.

Most stood in disbeliving shock over what had just transpired, and few dared to move a muscle

"Pffft! That idiot's dead!"

Turning sharply Nami was not surprised to see whom had spoken, one of the Vinsmokes, the redhaired one, whatever his name was (problably ending with -ji), who was smiling haugthily at the situation.

Frowning, Nami turnbed towards the wall where Luffy had left. The arrogant fool behind her was right ofcourse, If Luffy didn't get out away from Big Mom, he was indeed a dead idiot.

looking at Jinbe, she saw that he had come to the same conclusion, his jaw clenching in an angry scowl.

Nami knew what had to be done, she just had to gather up her courage to do it.

"Chopper..." she began, barely able to contain her trembling voice, making all heads turn towards her

"Huh, Yes Nami"

"take care of Bege, make sure he's well enough to move, Brook you stay and help him. Sanji, Carrot, Jinbe-chan, get ready!"

taking a quick breath to steady herself, Nami gripped her staff tightly:

"Bege, As soon as you can, please open a new hole. We're going out there!"

* * *

(outside)

Big Mom stormed towards The smaller captain,

her bulk so massive, it seemed impossible that anything could make it move,

yet it did, and at a tremendous speed,

a speed that brought her to the Strawhat captain a mere moment after she set out.

Lashing out with a ring encrusted fist, Luffy barely managed to avoid it as it slammed into the ground, creating a great crater and causing rubble to launch into the air

Luffy, naturally, was caught in the ensuing destruction.

with debris all around him, Luffy reached out an grabbed athe largest chunk nearby, stretching out his arm, he used it as a makeshift sling,

slamming the projectile hard into Big Mom's mouth, other chunks that had been cought in the arc of his bouncing arm, soon followed,

filling Big mom's gaping maw with debris.

undetered, Big mom began to chew and spit out the now further broken stones, which were now partially dissolved by her acidic saliva,

and looked angrily at the youngster infront of her

"My mouth is meant for sweets you cheeky little bratty pest! I'll **pulverize** you for giving me that bland stone!"

Luffy didn't have the time to braze for impact as the next punch fell like a meteor

behind Big Mom her children had entered a celebratory mood, not believing that anyone could be stupid enough to engage Mama directly,

snickering broke out from most of the teaprty guests and guards at the oncomming massacre,

exept for Du Feld, who, unknown to everyone, was still scrampering for the Tamatebako,

and Katakuri, who had paled considerably over the course of nanoseconds,

before he yelled in a frantic, almost pleading voice:

"NOOOOO! Don't do that Strawhaaaat!?"

* * *

(inside)

a Brief moment of hesitation was followed by hectic activity, mostly outraged shouting

"Woman, are you insane! If a hole is opened they have access straight to us!" Sanji's father raged behind her

"I love your personality! Way easier to flee with that moron taking all the heat!" Yonji piped in with Hearts in his eyes and a tongue lopping out of his mouth

Sanji was about to retort on her behalf, when Nami turned towards his indolent little Brother, her face looking more like a thundercloud than a human being, a warning that only arroused the young man further, making him drool.

Realising the futility of scolding the Prince, Nami quelled her anger, focussing on the task at hand

"We're going out there to assist him, not flee, we're sitting ducks inside Bege anyway"

turning towards the Firetank captain, she saw that he was improving slightly under Choppers care

"Bege-san, as soon as you're able, please..."

* * *

(outside)

Luffy looked confused at the tall man that had yelled at him,

not understanding what he was on about at all.

Big Mom only dismissed her second son as she was still in the throes of rage,

rage at being betrayed,

at having Mother Carmel's portrait destroyed right in front of her,

having been twarted in her assasination plot of the Vinsmokes,

and if that wasn't bad enough, the Little brat, that hadn't just stolen her sweets,

that hadn't just destroyed her wedding cake, but also eaten it before she could taste it!

it was all too much!

Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, was trembling with rage and as she summoned her personal Homies, Zeus and Prometheus, to eradicate the Little pesky captain of the worst generation in a way that would cause even Kaidou to shiver in fear.

Luffy, still confused at Katakuri's plea, was oblivious to the danger he was in,

instead he had tried to figure out why he had been yelled at, which had rapidly given him a headache,

rubbing his overheated head, he looked Down,

and som,ething caught his attention,

"Sweet! I getting hungry" he said as he picked it up, smilling hapily as he did so.

behind Big Mom, her children began to realise why Katakuri had pleaded, and a collective "no..." was whispered with disbelief.

Big Mom stopped dead in her tracks, immediatly recognising what it was in the young man's hands

"Strawhat... Give me that Weddingcake!"

* * *

(Inside)

"That's suicide!"

"You can't go out there without a plan"

"I can't let you go out there Nami-swann, let me twice go in your place!"

"SHUT UP! All of you!" Nami screamed at her nakama and the Firetank Pirates that had dared voice their shock at her request

"We have a plan, Help Luffy trying not to get killed!"

"That's not much of a plan Nami-san" Jinbe concluded "but it's all we've got" he admitted reluctantly

"Bege, please open an exit, the rest of you, try to get the cannons firering again!"

while the Firetank Pirates scrambled to obey, Jinbe turned to Bege Again

"Bege!"

but Bege couldn't hear him,

because unlike everybody else,

he could see and hear exactly what was going on outside of his fortress-body.

* * *

(outside)

"No"

the response was simple,

yet it carried with it a tremendous gravity,

not because Strawhat Luffy was in any position to back up a threat (had he spoken one) at the moment,

but because there was no telling what Big Mom would do without her weddingcake.

the clump that Luffy had found wasn't anything special, it wasn't that large either (at least for big Mom's prodigious appetite),

barely larger than Luffy,

it was a piece of the rim with frosting, a red marzipan rose with an orange tint, a sprinkle of diced berries of nearly all kinds and a good chunk of chocolate and cinnamon Spongecake (authors note: I have no idea what goes into a weddingcake normally, so don't flame me for getting something wrong about the composition of it).

It was simply put, weddingcake,

which Big Mom wanted to eat above all else

"Give it to me!" She demanded again

"No"

"GIVE IT TO MEEEE!" Big Mom's roar made the chateau tremble, yet Luffy didn't budge,

none of Linlin's children moved a muscle either, they knew what would happen if they got between Big Mom and her sweets, some having the horrific memory of Moscatto flash before their eyes repeatedly in that very moment.

Big Mom looked at the Strawehat captain as he started to frown and look annoyed,

and then he took a bite out of the cake!

* * *

First chapter Down

and a warm welcome back to me after a several year hiatus, so I might be a bit rusty with the writing.

Started writing this the 26th of june, so I'm pretty happy with how much I've actually gotten done over the course of 3 days.

anyway stay tuned for chapter two, RnR and all that


	2. Chapter 2

Out of the jaws of death chapter 2

3 reviews as of writing this, so thank you very much.

this obviously isn't what is going to happen of have happened post chapter 869 by now, but I'll continue because this is funny for me to work on.

Hope you enjoy my little tale about how I'd like things to go in the series, not realistic I know, but hey,

it's a fanfic

* * *

(out on the sea)

Aladine had become more and more distressed by the apporaching vessel.

the Jolly Roger seemed far to familiar, but it hadn't been one he'd seen in years, but the thought of what it meant shook him to his core. it puzzled him alittle they'd added a "6" to it along with another, smaller flag that he couldn't make out yet.

Why they were here he didn't know, but if they had established a connection with Big Mom it would be a disaster for the Sun Pirates, and Jinbe and the Strawhats by default. and the Firetank Pirates (but they didn't matter as much to him really).

as he worried for the future, it seemed the approaching ship had noticed them aswell, as a loud bellow og "HALT!" was heard across the foaming sea and two pair of oars were stuck into the water with such a force it created small whirlpools that could swallow lesser vessels with ease.

Aladine breathed a sigh of relief as he wondered if they could bluff or negotiate their way out of the situation,

hopefully the approaching pirates would be reasonable...

"Remove youselves or eat the **GOO**!" A loud call thundered over the tall waves from the vessel

"Don't say that Eiri! We're not that savage!" another call went out a moment later

... Or perhaps not...

* * *

(On Wholecake plateau)

BIg Mom was on the move,

her body being propelled, by a combination of rage and her natural sweettooth, towards the Strawhat captain,

all her wrath at the betrayal forgotten, replaced by a raw, uncontrolled, almost primal need, that manifested in a roar that shook the plateau

and kept her numerous offspring and underlings at bay,

they knew how she was when she had one of her "moods"

and that was the primary reason they feared her so...

* * *

(inside Bege)

Nami was almost screaming in frustration at her present ally

"Please Bege, open up, we can't leave Luffy to face her alone!" she pleaded frantically with the prone pirate captain

it yielded her nothing as Bege continued to stare, wideeyed at nothing in particular, trembling hands trying to steady his shaking head, while his worried wife and underlings was panic as their captain/husband/"father" saw something no one else could, something that terrified him.

Nami needn't know what her own captain was going through outside Bege's body

and then suddenly, without warning, there was a sound like a thunderbolt hitting a bomb that was going off over the course of several seconds, a warcry that terrified almost as much as it befuddled the audience:

" **Weeeeeeeayayayediiinnngggggaaaaaaaaaaaage!** "

every one was silent for a mere moment, until someone asked the obvious question

"What the hell?..."

" **For the love of GOD Strawhat, just give her the damn wedingcake**!" Bege screamed at the top of his lungs in utter horror, sitting up, pulling his hat tightly down over his head.

Everyone looked confused at Bege for his screaming, before the Blue-haired Vinsmoke broke the silence

"Cake? is he taking her on a date?!"

"Why'd he do that when he got that firecracker right there in his crew?" Yonji added, pointing a lusty finger at Nami

"He's a mad one he is" the red-haired VInsmoke consented, still smilling, steam coming out his nostrils as he looked over Nami (yet again)

Nami on her behalf was just about to retaliate, before Jinbe cut her off

"This is perfect!" responding to the panicked stares he recieved, the fishman elaborated "Big Mom is having one of her eating frenzies, she can't distinguish friend from Foe, let alone control her powers, this is the perfect time to free Bege from the candy constraints and leg it out of here!"

"Get to it then JInbe!" Bege yelled as his fortress body trembled yet again as somthing went on outside of it,

before Jinbe exited throught the swiftly opening portal he held out a hand, stopping Nami and the other strawhats in their tracks

"You stay here, you're all too afraid of Big Mom to stand a second if you face her out there"

"You can't be serious Jinbe-chan!"

"I saw Luffy when he realiised Ace had died, I'm not risking him having to put him through that again, Nami! STAY!"

his words were had the tone of an order and Nami almost followed them, before she took a step though the portal however, Sanji's hand held her back the single second it took Bege to close it after the former Shichibukai.

"He's right Nami-swann, the rest of us isn't able to..." he began before Nami silenced him

"Get your damn hand **off** of me!"

Sanji obeyd as if she'd struck him again, not daring to incur her wrath further, the rest of the Strawhats followed suit as Nami fumed at the situation,

not being able to help Luffy was bad enough, but she'd tried that a million times before,

but this was the first time she'd been protected by a fortress and the opponent was a very angry Yonko,

who could destroy countries like cockroaches...

* * *

(outside)

Jinbe landed in the middle of a hellstorm of dust, screams and candy bits,

it obscurred his movements but also made it harder for him to judge the situation.

as expected it seemed to him that BIg Mom's brood was not going to engage bege's body while Mama herself was on a rampage,

but she alone was more than he and Strawhat could handle, or even with the assistance of the entire Strawhat and Sun Pirate crews (even in their heyday when big Brother Tai had been captain and now with the addition of Wadatsumi)

Looking around frantically, Jinbe found what he looked for, the foundation of the candy holding Bege in place,

if he could just break enough of the blasted confectionary Bege could transform back into his human form and they could jump down from the plateau,

And so he went aabout his task, hoping,

hoping to all that he knew that Luffy wouldn't do anything even more crazy!

even as he realised the fultility of that wish he kept striking the candy wall, forming ever more cracks in the hard sugary construction.

(else where on the plateau, but not that far away)

Luffy dodged the first few swipes as he scrambled to keep a hold on his prize, a piece of weddingcake that hdan't been demolihed by him interupting Big Mom's tea party.

needless to say, he could avoid all the frantic strikes, as he took on directly to the stomach, knockiing all air out of his body, leaving him breathless.

it sadly took him back to when his grandfather used to train him, fortunately that also inspired a fear of him grandsire that overpowered his fear of Big Mom's

furious blows, saving his soul from being extracted in the process.

unfortunately it didn't save him from the next few blows as they connected with the power to crush a castle.

That, his Busoshoku haki managed, barely, as he strugled to regain his breath in time to meet the mad humongous woman that was assailing him.

"Weeedingcaaaake!" she roared again like a small scale, polkadot dresswearing, female Godzilla

"NO! I'm hungry! it's mine!" he yellled back furiously

the exchange of words made the entire audience (those that wasn't used to the strawhat antics that is) sweatdrop.

Katakuri had foreseen it of course, and thus had better time to adjust to the exclamation than his siblings, but it still left him dumbstruck that anyone would dare go against Mama so openly, and for such a small reason

" **Weddingcake**!"

"Get your own, it's not even your wedding!"

Not a single time in his life, had Katakuri known anyone to stand up to Mama in such a manner, it was almost admirable,

if it hadn't been so futile.

Using his kenbunshoku Haki to peer into the future, he realised something else

"Jinbe! that Fishman is out of the fortress and attacking the candy! Get him!"

His siblings hesitated, fear of Mama was enough foor them to disobey even their elder brother,

but only for a short time as they reluctantly started to circle around the fortress in order to find and deal with the former Shichibukai,

and end him.

* * *

(still outside, but behind the Big Mom pirates)

Du Feld was panting heavily,

the shaking of the plateau was intimidating enough, but the sound of Big Mom being so angry shook him to his core,

even though he was in no way on the recieving end.

but he would be if he goot caught having opened the Tamatebako!

holding on to the chest for dear life, he sprinted nearer the edge of the plateau and found a place to hide.

Securing himself and making sure he had not been seen (unlikely as everyone was caught up with the Firetank, Strawhat and Vinsmoke groups),

he pondered his next move:

being the first to look at the contents of the tamatebako only gave him a slight advantage over the other emperors of the underworld, and that advantage could only be played after Big Mom had opened it herself. in her joy at the contents she would be especially subjective to flattery and if he did well enough with that, he could get into Big mom's good graces, a spot most would sell their own countries into slavery for! (Good graces he could use to get back at Stussy for her deaththreat before!)

but if he switched the contents he could make a fortune on the black market!

just keeping the chest safe in the confusion would land him a high star with Big Mom, but only if she didn't susppect that he'd wanted to open it before her...

the possibilities were practically endless,

as were the dangers.

but that only mattered if he got caught, right?

deciding not to waste anymore time he started to pry at the Lock.

* * *

(inside Bege)

The worst of the tremblings had receeded,

Bege was no longer being attacked by Big Mom, which could only mean that the small shaking they felt was the aftershock of her attacks,

or,

hopefully,

that Jinbe had started to attack the candy wall as he had planned.

Regardless, Nami was still fuming, her hand clutching her staff so hard, her knuckles had gone white.

behind her she could hear the Firetank Pirates rushing to clean up the cannons, giving the fortress a figthing chance for a change,

hopefully Big Mom's logia user wouldn't just fill up the barrels with Mochi again, reducing the crew to use common firearms against the besiegers, crippling their chances of survival considerably.

fortunately, She could still hear Big Mom's warcry (or bakery order), which meant that she hadn't gotten what she wanted, which assumingly meant that Luffy was still alive out there,

at the moment.

Turning towards Bege, Nami could see that Chopper was doing his best to patch up the Firetank captain,

the man was not shaking like a leaf anymore and was almost standing up without aid from his wife and underlings.

Good.

"Bege-san, how are things outside?"

Coughing up a glob of blood, Bege managed to shake his head as a way of initial response

"Can't see much thanks to that damn dustcloud Mama kicks up" taking a ragged breath Bege continued "But I can hear Jinbe attacking the candy, but also that BIg Mom's crew know that too and are going to prevent him from doing that" panting heavily, Bege began to sway from side to side like a drunkyard, causing the big handed member and the one with a machinegun for an arm to leap to his side with a dismayed "Father!" followed closely by Chiffon and Little Pez, both of whom cried hysterically at the sight before them and the noise outside

Fortunately Chopper was on the spot to admonish him for standing up too soon, underlining it with a "Doctor's orders!" which Bege obviously didn't care much for giving the grimace it gave him.

But, as soon as he was put on a chair, Bege continued

"But as soon as we can bring our cannons to bear again, _pant_ , we can hit back! Until then, sit down, _pant_ , and don't make any more crazy demands! _pant_ "

"Dear, be nice now, Nami is Lola's savior afterall, that practically makes her family" Chiffon piped in

Bege's only response was to grumble something about it being his body and his rules and turn his head away with a light sulk at his wife's overbearing reprimanding. The behaviour actually impressed Nami as Chioffon had been hysterical a mere moment before.

"But how soon will that be Bege-san?" while her voice was even, Nami shook in a mixture of fear and anticipation

"A few moments more, no less, my crew aren't incompent!"

A moment later, the cannons starting roaring Again, confirming Bege's claim.

Chiffon, having noted Nami's state, movd to her side to gently rub her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down

"It's going to be fine, The boys' will see to that, you'll see" she said in a soothing voice, as much to Nami as herself it appeared,

but,

as soon as the cannons went silent Again, Nami's worries multibplied,

not knowing whether or not they'd go silent Again, because they were out of shot, had just shot,

or had been blocked up again.

* * *

(outside)

Big Mom trembled as she accelerated forwards,

she didn't miss a beat as the cannon ball struck her nose and shattered in an explosion of shrapnell, smoke and the oddbit of makeup,

emerging from the cloud o0f debris as something out of a nightmare, following Luffy as a bloodhound would a fox.

Luffy on his part could care less about how Big Mom looked, he was too busy not loosing his victory snack and trying to hit back against the raging Yonko, which was hard to do when one arm was holding onto a weddingcake, that miraculously still was relatively in one piece (though sligtly crumbling at this point.

trying to get a good shot in, Luffy threw up the weddingcake behind him, making big Mom raise her arms and throw herself forward, her eyes like whirlpools and tongue lopping out of her mouth like a painting dog, trying to get a hold of the object of her cravings, leaving her wide open for Luffy's assault

"Gomu Gomu no Cannon!"

As his attacks connected, Luffy saw that the only effect they had was averting Big Mom's course slightly, not enough to cause her damage, but enough to her missing the weddingcake by an inch

jumping back to catch his snack before it hit the ground, with Big Mom tumbling to the side with an audible crash, only for her to get up a moment later, naturally unharmed, advancing on him menacingly with thick strands of drool dripping from her mouth, sizzling as the drops hit the ground.

"Weddingcake!" she bubbled as she took shaking, but powerfuls steps towards the smaller captain,

before she suddnely stopped, her attention breifly diverted

" **Is this it?"** gurgled inquisitively, holding up a large chunk of candy, before she showed it into her mouth to test her theory

"NO! this isn't **it**!" she howled as she looked around again for the elusive weddingcake

Luffy was in shock,

where did the candy come from? (and how did he get some of it?)

Looking around he saw Jinbe near a large piece of partially demolished and otherwise cracking candy wall, being attacked by a guy that looked like he had a flower around his bearded face.

Jinbe, despite his martial prowess, was being pushed back, not just by the man whose punches seemed to burn each time they were blocked, but by the bullets that flew towards his body in a steady stream.

Noticing he was being watched Jinbe called out

"Watch out for Big Mom, I'll handle this!"

even Luffy could tell that Jinbe doubted himself at that point, but as he turned back towards Big Mom, he had to admit that they were in a tight spot.

What was more nothing he did seemed to matter to Big Mom, all she wanted was the cake in his hands.

A rare moment occured,

as Luffy actually had an idea before his instincts kicked in

* * *

(inside)

Nami hugged herself tightly as the booming of the cannons continued,

the more they sounded she told herself another enemy fell,

but she felt that all the cannonballs did was miss and had to reload Again and Again, just to keep the opposing pirates at bay.

Giving her crewmates a look over she guess she should consider herself Lucky iut wasn't all of them out there,

Pedro had his blistered hands bandaged by Chopper with Carrot fuzzing over her Fellow mink, marvelling as much about the damage he'd sustained (and survived), Chopper's Medical skills and finally the abilities of their opponents, remarking that the sea was truly a wonderland.

Meanwhile Brook was standing near Chiffon, trying to lull the crying Pez to sleep with some violin music, his serene tunes making a twisted contrast to the sounds of running and rustling firetank crew as they frantically scrambled to reload and be quiet at the same time, so as not to disturb their captain's son.

In the other end of the room stood the Vinsmokes, Sanji's estranged relatives, silent and contemplative, watching their Black sheep as Sanji watched them in turn.

An unexpected sound made her jump, as it did everyone else jst as the fortress shook and trembled,

laughter,

from Bege.

given the situation he'd be the last one you'd expect to laugh,

with one of the Vinsmokes (of course) remarking that the man " _must've gone mad_ ", not caring for the scowl the Firetank crew gave him for insulting their _father,_

however, it all made a little sense when he began to cheer

"That's it you Little crazy nutjob! Goad that old Hag!"

"Bege what's going on out there? wha..."

"Shut it Black Leg, your captain's being an idiotic genious! He's goading Mama to destroy the candy wall while Jinbe's occupied with Oven!"

as Bege laughed again, part from his previous panic and part from overwhelming relief that there was hope yet,

the people in the room started to take Heart, even Little Pez had stopped crying out in terror.

"Bege-san, we still have to get off the plateau, any plans?"

"Hold your horses girl, as soon as I'm free of the constraints, I'll shrink Down Again, then we leg it out of here as fast as possible!"

Bege Smiled,

Nami didn't share his confidence

"Ands the fastest wayu to do that is?"

her question made Bege pause slightly, before he turned to Caesar Clown

"You can fly can't you Gastiny?" his mocking turned Caesar a Deep shade of red

"It's Gastino! And yes I can fly! But I want my Heart back right after this is done!" the scientist howled indignantly while pointing an angry and shaking finger at the captain

"... can he lift Jinbe and Luffy too? and what about coverfire?"

"The cannons will provide the cover, Jinbe should be sensible enough to get Strawhat back inside"

And with that Nami surprised herself by taking a breath of relief,

they weren't out of the fire yet, but they could see through the smoke now at least

* * *

(outside)

Jinbe blocked Again,

it was hard to fight back against an opponent that was so warm it evaporated the Water near him, making it impossible for him to use his Fishman Karate against Oven,

Fortunately he still had Haki, but he had used a lot of it figthing aginast the Big Mom pirates and he was getting slightly tired.

Stealing a quick look at Luffy's Progress, Jinbe's eyes widened, as did Oven's as he saw what was comming towards them:

Luffy, followed closely by an angry, ravenous, acid-drooling Big Mom.

Oven didn't need to think twice about what he had to do,

he fled,

Jinbe didn't have the same good fortune, as all he could do to get out of the way of the gluttonous wreckingball, was to throw himself to the side, barely avoiding having Luffy stumple over him, as he goaded Big Mom into the candywall that Jinbe had attacked when he emerged from the insides of Bege.

Smilling, Jinbe saw what Luffy was doing, and quickly surveying the scene made him realise how effective it had been so far.

Most of the candy constraints had been demolished in the matter of moments, and the frantic speed that Big Mom had avanced to made it futile for Perospero, had he been able to peer through the mist of shattered and pulverized candy, to replace them in time,

that left only two variables to Jinbe:

1\. Luffy remaining out of range of Big Mom

and 2. her cataclysmic brood not getting any bright ideas as they got out of this sticky situation.

getting up, he moved to assist his future captain.

* * *

(further away, on the other side of the candy dust mist)

Katakuri cursed as he was hit by a straý Cannonball,

had he not been in his Logia-form, it would've done considerable damage,

the mist that had been kicked up out of nowhere was making it near impossible for his siblings to shoot or aim effectively,

although most weren't firering at the moment for fear of hitting Oven that'd been so reckless to engage Jinbe in a fistfight with Mama on a rampage nearby. the fortress didn't share the fullness of that handicap, as most of the cannons towered above the cloud and could shoot indiscriminately at most of the Big Mom pirates, (leaving the guests for the teaparty unharmed, but that wasn't much of a comfort) while his comrades couldn't do any lasting damage on the cannons, even his mochi was useless now as the Firetank pirates had gotten wise on how to combat it and remove it from the Cannon barrels.

As his younger Brother emerged from the pinkish sugar cloud, the shooting began anew

"Oven, what's going on in there?"

before Oven could answer his elder sibling, Katakuri continued

"You did the right thing, how much of the candy wall is was still standing?"

Oven stood stunned for a moment, still not being used to Katakuri's Kenbunshokuhaki mastery, even after all these years

Most of it, there's a at the edge of the plateau, but that's it! Mama was chasing Strawhat right beneath Bege's stony butt!"

"I can't see where to put up more walls!" Perospero howled in frustration, fully aware that their quarry was close to getting away,

Big Mom's other children started to fire Again, not concerning themselves with whether or not they hit Mama or not, knowing full well that she could take far greater punishment than that.

Katakuri didn't need his Haki to realise what the future would bring if he didn't do something fast.

Stressing his haki to the limit, he lifted his leg and made a kick into the storm of candy bits,

sending a glob of sticky mochi directly unto the battlefield,

what his Haki showed him next,

surprised him.

"Well, that didn't go as planned..." Had Katakuri's musings not been lost beneath the roar of gun- and cannonfire,

his siblings would've become very, very worried,

for that atleast, he was thankful

* * *

(inside)

"Hot towel miss" the waiter offered as nami looked at him incredulously,

not fathoming that Bege could concern himself with cleanliness at their present situation,

nonetheless she accepted it, patting away at the sweat her fear had made burst out beneath Luffy's Strawhat.

taking another look at Bege she saw him give a minute description of where he wanted Xaesar to fly the second he got out,

which wasn't where the Sunny was

"Bege-san if it's not a problem our crew would like to go in a different direction" seeing Bege's puzzled expression Nami elaborated "We can't just leave our ship"

"Oh sweetheart, that was confiscated almost as soon as you left it" Chiffon piped in, taking a short break from pampering a sleeping Pez "it got placed in a side harbour with our ship"

"Oh, well that's relief, wait what about the sub?"

"I collected that while the rest of your were sleeping Nami-san"

"Good job Pedro, then there's nothing that ties us up here then" Nami smiled gratefully, not caring for the sour face Bege put up, which Sanji noticed

"You were planning to leave us, weren't you?"

"Would have been a nice distraction, but it wouldn't have helped us at all, all of BIg Mom's crew knows that you'd have nowhere to go and just keep following us..." puffing on his cigar before he continued Bege let out a small smoke ring "...and my crew aren't exactly the speediest bunch"

"is that sideharbour where they kep our Vessel as well? It's unlikely they'll have have kept it in the main harbour"

turning her head to see who'd spoken, Nami realised that it was Sanji's father, not resembling his son in any visible way, aside from the blonde hair that clashed with the Black of his moustache and small goat patch

"Most likely, where else'd they put such a weird Vessel? As soon as we part ways are alliance ends and it's every crew for themselves"

"Bege! We can't leave Lola's friends like that!"

"I know! I know they saved Lola, but I am NOT risking my son's life for them! and that is final Chiffon!"

Nami didn't blame Bege for his cynicism, protecting your child was a hallmark of decent parenting, Judge, on his part, was indifferent

"No matter, as soon as we've reached our kingdom, you pirates would just be in the way for our military operations"

"You intend to fight them! You wouldn't last 2 minutes!"

"Perhaps Gang, but The entire Germa 66 is moored in Tottoland, we'll give them a fight to remember!" Judge said, adressing no one in particular, yet everyone felt he spoke to them personally

"Today, Big Mom sinks! And the Germa Kingdom is assured our ancient rights, as rulers of North Blue!"

no one said a Word,

the sheer grandiose ambition of the man having overwhelmed them,

almost

"A posthumous title, what good does that do you if you're all dead?"

"You actually are so naive, to think that we'd all die, Sanji?" Judge spoke with sucha patronizing tone it could be cut into pieces and sold to all the Worlds math teachers and pseudo priests "our combat prowess is great enough to crush nations and kingdoms by the tens, a Yonko... will be trouble,yes, but not so much as we all perish"

a moment of silence followed, only broken by Bege's laughter

"Good, that's an even better distraction than the Strawhats running wild!"

"A little respect, is in order, Pirate!"

"You can have your respect, your glory, and your pyrrhic Victory, Vinsmoke, as long as we have our lives in the end"

"What's the life of a few pirates to that of an empire? Heh!"

"Well said, Ichiji" Judge responded, pride and certainty filling his voice

Nami pondered wheter it did so as much as his arrogance filled his head.

* * *

(outside)

Jinbe ducked Again,

avoiding the bullets that flew over his head,

hitting evertyhing in their path.

He was just about to shout a warning to Luffy, only to see,

less than a second later,

the strawhat captain get hit by a dozen rounds, his body beding inwards where the bullets Struck, before they bounced back at high velocity,

causing Jinbe to roll to the side to avoid the returning fire

"Oh yes, Rubber human..." He mused, briefly ashamed that he had forgotten,

he didn't need to take a look at Big Mom to know the bullets bounced harmlessly off of her iron hard skin,

the same hide that hid powerful muscles beneath a hull of obesity, which even now was being used to crush the last of the constraints holding Bege's body in place,

The situation looked sunnier by the second!

* * *

(inside)

"Strawhat's almost finished, Caesar get ready!" Bege howled as he began to plan where Caesar should exit

the scientist was poised to move at a moments notice

"Something's happening outside" Sanji's kenbunbshokuhaki had screamed to him a mere moment before,

but his yell still came too late...

* * *

(outside)

Jinbe sensed it, before he saw it,

a huge stream of mochi comming throught the cover, shooting straight for Luffy who was barely dodging Big Mom's increasingly rapid attempts to grapple him and swallow him along with the weddingcake

quick as a snake, Jinbe rose, he knew he couldn't intercept either obstacle with his body,

but he stood nonetheless,

took a fishmasn Karate stance,

and Struck!

A stream of Water formed out of thin air and shot at Luffy, hiting him and propelling him a foot out of Big Mom's reach just as she drew back her arm to strike again,

the mochi landed on the ground where Luffy had stood a moment before,

Big mom took a step forward, instinctively getting withing reach of luffy, but also placing her foot directly into the mochi

being slightly outbalanced did Little to diminish the force behind the blow she had prepared, but it did redict it,

striking with an uppercut that could have levelled a mountain Big mom grazed Luffy and sent him flying and propelled her upwards,

being stuck in the mochi made her cling to the ground only momentarily, though weakening the blow slightly, it still sent her upwards,

below her foot the mochi lost it's grip on her and Big mom seemed for a moment like she had done a superman punch,

as it passed,

her bejeweled knuckles connected with the underside of Bege's fortress body,

sending a shudder through the entire Construction

* * *

(inside)

The Whole inside of Bege trembled as if it had been hit by en earthquake,

many lost their footing and the floor soon became a mess of entangled limbs and bodies

"What happened? are we free?" Nami looked to Bege or where he should have been, having jumped high into the air, both hands placed on his derriere, and just when she thought he was going to answer her,

his open maw let out a sound, she hadn't heard anything like since the time Franky became a Strawhat

it sounded like a herd of Buffalo and goat had entered a kennel and the intertwined sound of bleating, Mooing and barking had been drawn out,

as in slowmotion,

making it resemble a call from a trombone or a Didgeridoo, which gradually became higher pitched,

all happening in tune to the spasms that followed, the foam at his mouth and the tears on his face and the dull thud when his body hit the floor

Chopper was on the spot in a moment, not being stopped in his tracks like the Firetank pirates, too shocked at their captains behavior to respoinds to his howls of agony,

Caesar was crambling away from the stricken man, his face even pasler than usual.

meanwhile a hole was opening in the floor, threatening to swallow up anyone who was so unfortunate not to get out of the way.

Nami thought fast, readied her clima-tact staff and prepared to jump, in her panic she practically didn't know what she was doing, even as her instincts all told her to hold onto Chopper like a teddybear for dear life her body didn't respond to it and her mind began to formulate a plan,

even as the Whole started to close up again, she had aleready activated one of the clima-tacts mechanisms, a small cloud quickly forming at the end of it

"I'm going out there. Caesar, you're going too!"

Sanji's face shot up from the ground, taking his entire body with it, leapt to the occasion,

grabbing Nami faster than should be possible, and threw her (as gently as he could) away from the closing hole,

he knew she'd protest so he simply yelled as he jumped into the hole

"You're not strong enough for this Nami-Swann! let me do it"

the Hearts in his eyes were the last thing visible by the stunned occupants of the room, as the hole closed itself again

* * *

(outside)

Jinbe cursed as he saw the massive structure tilt to the side after Big mom's punch connected,

bringing it out of ballance just as the cannons fired, their aim higher than it should have been, leaving the rounds ineffective against the big mom pirates

* * *

(outside on the other side of the now dispersing sugar cloud)

the Big mom pirates cheered as they saw the fortress rise and fall to the side,

it's last round flying stright above their heads.

All except Katakuri cheered, as he saw what was comming in the future

"Protect the guests, you imbeciles, if they die, Mama is going to have a fit!"

his siblings scrambled to obey

* * *

(at the guests)

Pudding was hiding behind a table that had been flipped over, despite knowing how Little it would do if a cannonball came flying, her arms covering her head in a almosty as futile gesture to shield herself, all her eyes closedc in denial of what was happening

fortunately for her, a hand reached out and dragged her away by her scuff of her neck, in the commotion she felt her veil tear off.

When she opened her eyes she found herself behind a large chunk of wall, one of the guests next to her,

Stussy, the Queen of the pleasure district, sitting down,

enjoying a biscuit, and a glass of some Deep red liquid in a snifter (au: a glass with a stem, go Wikipedia!)

"Thank you madam, I..." she began, but Stussy cut her off

"No need to thank me dear, you mother will do that for you later"

taking another bite out of her cookie, Stussy continued

"When this is all done, I suggest you keep that dress, a womans weddingdress is such a good memory, especially since all of this have gone south so fast" pausing to study Pudding's face, as if she saw it for the first time Sussy continued "I must say it's _not_ the first time I've seen the bride pull a gun on the groom", she said it with a slight nteawsing pout on her lips, as if she was proud, before she finished her cookie and reached for another one

"If you're interested I could use someone like you in my organisation, your talents would be most appreciated"

Pudding trembled, she wanted her to be silent for a moment, _just_ a moment.

how dared she? Pudding like being seen as a good girl and the thought of working with the _queen of whores,_ as one of her _girls_ , wasn't to her liking in the least, it seemed to her she had found the first person to have her memnory of the events readjusted.

just as she was about to reach out for the older womans head, Stussy spoke again

"by the way, **I would not** ask you to cover up that cute face of yours, covering up a womans features is such a horrible thing to do, like you want them to hide behind a mask of anonymity"

Pudding stopped in her tracks, stunned, two compliments to her looks, her honest looks, were practicaly miraculous, and she felt a tear roll Down her forehead a scant moment later

"No need to cry dear" Sussy consoled as she briefly stroked Pudding's cheek,

just as a cannonball crashed through the table Pudding had previously hidden behind,

Seing her shocked expression, Stussy continued

"No need to shocked over that Pudding, we've been endangered from the moment we set foot on the plateau, it is one of Linlin's tea parties after all"

Pudding had to agree with her savior, just as she Amande, Galette and several of her other elder siblings begin to shield the other guests, such as Drug Peclo and Morgans (who couldn't shut his beak over how big news it all was)

fortunately she hadn't been forgotten as Smoothie caught a cannonball that would have landed scant meters away from her and Stussy, and would have given them hundreds of Little lethal holes.

Twisting the projectile, Smoothie wrung out a Deep dark liquid into an empty glass thatshe found lying in the ground

"I apolegize for the commotion, I hope this refreshment is to you liking" she said, slightly out of breath, offering Stussy the glass,

when she accepted it, smoothie's hand was extended to Pudding, leading her to a safer hiding spot,

but not before hearing Stussy's verdict

"Poor mouthfeel, a little too strong pepper flavour, but if you mixed it with a bit of rum and Conache juice, you might have something"

* * *

(further away)

Du feld screamed as the cannonballs started to rain Down near him,

and he'd almost managed to get the Lock up!

just as he was cursing his luck,

a particularly large cannonball hit the ground infront of his hiding spot, sending the makeshift barricade, and what was behind it, tumbling towards the edge.

Seeing the Tamatebako round the last bit of the plateau and fall Down the side of it, Du feld was certain that he was going to die,

but just as he was about to follow the chest's course a number of books surrounded him and lifted him into the air and away from the edge

"The hell you doing back here Du Feld?" Mont'd'Or rambled as the books turned Du Feld around in the air, Du feld thought quickly

"I was protecting the Tamatebako! but it fell of the plateau!" he screamed in a partially faux panic,

Something in the look Mon'd'Or told him he didn't believe him entirely, yet the look on his face as he looked over the edge and saw the tamatebako crash into the walls of the plateau (its' lid and Lock getting more and more dented), removed his suspicions, not because they were proven wrong, but for what it could mean for his immediate future

"Mama's gonna kill me..."

* * *

(on the battlefield)

Sanji landed on the ground,

and was shocked as to what he saw, sugary debris everywhere, Jinbe rushing towards luffy who'd landed in a pile of demolished candy, his legs kicking wildly trying to get out, a pile of barely recognizable weddingcake lying nearby, and Big Mom eating the candy chunks left and right screaming "is this it? is that it?", followed by an angry "That wasn't it! that wasn't it!" her voice growing ever more frantic and needy by the mouthfull (needless to say she was pretty much cleaning up the mess she'd made).

Around him he could see the Shadow of Bege's fortress body diminish, it's owner taking on his normal size, but still moaning in agony, holding his very sore butt.

What surprised him was who else he found out there with him,

Chiffon and Pez, who apparently had ot gotten away from the hole in time.

looking frantically from Luffy and Jinbe, to the stricken Firetank captain and his Family,

Sanji was in doubt.

What should he do?

He'd gone out to help Luffy, but now there was a woman and a baby out here with him aswell!

"Stay with them and keep them out of harms way Sanji!"

he knew the voice of course, but he hadn't expected to hear it out here

"Nami-swann, what are you doing here? How...?" he screamed

"I used a MIrage Tempo to duplicate myself onto the guy with the towels" noting his expression she cut him off before he could even begin "Like you wouldn't try to shield me again! I can do more out here than inside Bege, now get on with you job Sanji!"

Sanji briefly nodded, dumbstruck at how beautiful Nami could be when she was furious,

and how terrifying

and had he been an introspective individual; he'd have been worried by how much it aroused him.

Or it was the look of seeing her run towards Luffy and Jinbe that made him so happy, no one could tell really.

* * *

(amongst the Big Mom Pirates)

Katakuri was pleased, Things had finally begun to turn their way,

the fog had cleared,

Strawhat was incapacitated,

Mama was close to him,

Bege had dropped the giant fortress show

and there were now more targets than before!

he didn't need to give any orders, as to what the crew should be doing,

they were already reloading their firearms,

starting to take aim.

then it hit him, a flash of the future he wouldn't have believed in a million years, and even as he watched it unfold,

he knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.

* * *

(on the battlefield)

Big Mom lumbered forwards,

her drooling maw open in anticipation, as she waddled towards Luffy,

not giving any heed to the watery blows Jinbe fired at her,

smacking him to the side like a man would a fly.

fortunately the damage wasn't enough to put him out of commision, and he was only slightly disoriented by the slap (and the landing),

but that was a small relief,

as Charlotte Linlin's fat bejeweled hand reached out and plucked Luffy (and the pile of Candy he was stuck in) up like a jellybeam

"Is this it?" her voice trembled as her mouth opened further, revealing rows of big White teeth, like a series of White mountain Peaks that at any time could grind Luffy to paste.

A punch to the nose from Luffy didn't seem to face her in the least,

Nami was running towards the Yonko, determined to not let her captain fall prey to the massive woman,

swinging her staff at her intended target, she screamed "Sandāboruto Tenpo!"

A moment later a large thunderbolt smacked Down in the candy chunk, releasing Luffy from the sugary constraints,

enabling him to jump away from the mountain of flesh as it began to consume the chunk, resulting in an immediate response

"That's not it! Weeddiiiiinnnnnggcaaaaake! Where is it?!" the scream was frantic, as a Little child that (in it's own opinion) had been denied something for far too long.

As she waddled forward Again, Nami turned to luffy

"Luffy! We can't fight her right now, just give her the cake and at least she'll be busy with that for a second!"

"But I'm hungry!" he yelled back

"JUST GIVE HER THE FREAKING CAKE!"

Luffy obeýed, albeit reluctantly, and picked up the dirty glob that was the weddingcake, it was dirty, there was hairt on it,

and the shape made it appear more like a booger than a savoury spongecake,

yet it was the object of Big Mom's cravings and when she saw it, her tongue lopped out of her mouth like on a dog, being mesmerized by the sight.

Æuffy threw the cake high into the air, and Big Mom jumped to reach it, her fat fingers clawing at the air

as the cake came Down, it fell straight into Big Mom's waiting mouth, where, as soon as it hit her tongue, she started to chew with a vigour that would have humbled any glutton in the new world.

"This is it!, THIS IS IIIIITTTT!" Big mom's exulted voice rang out across the plateau, her hands caressing her cheeks as she landed on her backside with a loud thud.

rolling around on the ground the woman seemed to be in the grip of of absolute gluttonous ecstacy, her eyes wild at the flavour the coursed through her mouth.

Not one of her opponent wasted any time and started to run away.

the chance to flee was brief though, As Big mom sat up, and turned towards her crew

"Streussen you're a genious, it was the best you've ever made... Why the heck are you all standing over there?"

looking around, Charlotte Linlin surveyed the scene "What the hell happened here? it looks like my last bachelorette party... only with less corpses..."

finally seeing the fleeing Strawhat pirates, something clicked in Linlin's oversized, sugarcrazed head

" _Ssstttrrrrraaaaaawwwwwhhhhaaaatttttt_! _YOU DESTROYED MOTHER'S PHOTO!"_

* * *

(on the vey edge of the plateau)

Mont'd'Or had stopped the Tamatebako from Falling further out of reach with a couple of well placed books supporting the ornate chest,

but as he heard the scream of Big Mom, he felt nothing but fear

and as he lost his balance and fell backwards into Du Feld, the chest fell down once again,

knocking into the side of the plateau,

the Lock finally gave way and broke, spilling the explosive contents down the side of the giant structure,

where they set off a titanic explosion that shook the Tower to it's core,

threatening to topple it, kill all who stood upon it and bury the Capital of Totto Land with an avalanche of debris!

* * *

And that was Chapter 2,

I would have loved to incorporate Bege's speech about not wanting his crew and Family harmed (which for him was pretty epic) in it's full form, but I'm not much for doing that, or use the Sanji's "father-son" moment and the subsequent "Vinsmokes vs. Big Mom" scuffle.

There is one moment that I plan on using in a very waried form in the next chapter though, and Oh boy do I look forward to use that little gem.

a note for myself for future refference, Don't write so much! this chapter was nearly four times the length of the first one (atleast according to Word count)

stay tuned for the third chapter


	3. Chapter 3

ok, time for the third chapter

* * *

The explosion was deafening,

like a thunderstorm right above your head.

The Shockwave travelled throught the plateau with the force of a tidal wave,

shaking the structure to it's very foundation,

Sweet City felt as it was hit by an swift earthquake,

and as suddnely as lightning, the shock was over.

And the Plateau began to lean and crumble...

* * *

(on top of the Plateau)

the trembling came as swiftly as the sound,

the sound of a thousand cannons going off at the same time,

the impact of their shots connecting with the plateau and shaking it to it's core.

Few could remain standing as it continued, let alone hear anything but the loud "kaboom".

Big Mom stood, a foot restuck in Katakuri's mochi, her multible chins wiggling like crazy,

making it impossble for her to formulate any coherent sentence,

yet no one would doubt what she'd say, because it was what everyone was thinking:

" _What the hell_?"

the trembling continuued, but as their assembled pirates and lowlifes of the underworld regained their hearing,

not one of them could fathom what had happened,

except one.

Katakuri was deathly pale, the sight of the crumbling tower fresh in his mind,

the sound of the trembling tower and his siblings' confused panic brought him back to the present, and he decided to take charge

"EVACUATE THE TOWER!", despite the rumbling of the rapidly collapsing Tower, his voice rang clear over the plateau

"Perospero, Make a slide for the crew! and when you're done, get your ass over and help me!" he howled at his older sibling as he stormed off to where the edge of the plateau had used to be, now, that edge was rapidly disappearing, like an eroded rivershore.

not wasting time turning his head to see if his elder Brother obeyed (his kenbunshoku haki did that for him afterall),

Katakuri performed perhaps his single heroic act in his entire career as a pirate.

Kneeling in front of the collapsing edge, he poured all of his energy and will into producing as much Mochi as possible and send it straight Down into the devastation, trying to hold the Construction from crumbling too fast, giving his siblings (and by proxy the population of Totto Land) time to quit the blastzone.

* * *

(Nearby)

Nami shook along with her crew, Falling on the fracturing ground and feeling it all shift below her,

throwing everyone nearby around like balls in a raffle, sending them chrashing into eachother at random,

(she was certain she ended up colliding with Bege and Sanji a few times)

when she landed, the entire area had been rearanged,

large chunks of the Building had been turned up and lay in heaps all over the place,

making it resemble ice floe with rock.

Nami had been Lucky, she hadn't gotten too many scrapes and no serious injuries

Looking around frantically, while trying to wipe the dust from her eyes, Nami attempted to locate her comrades.

Bege was far off to the left of her, lying flat on his stomach, blood running from his temple, but trying to rise up, though trembling like a newborn calf, too unsure of his movements to really know what he was doing.

Sanji moved to Bege's side and tried to help him up, though the chef was limping, his holed pants showing a large bruised and damaged area beneath the fabric.

Jinbe was to her right, pinned beneath a large pile of masonry, trying in vain to remove the burden from his shoulders.

Nami couldn't see Luffy,

but she could see Big Mom, furious, her hands tightening around her sun and cloud Homies, Zeus and Prometheus, standing some 20 meters in front of her.

the sight made her blood run Cold,

but not from the Yonko in front of her,

from what lay in between them,

and infinitely much closer to Big Mom than herself...

* * *

(at the plateau edge)

Katakuri panted heavily, the massive task of trying to control the damage to the plateau with his Mochi, was taking it's toll,

Perospero had been delayed bu making a slide for the evacuation,

but he was helping his sibling trying to contain the damage now,

their younger siblings like Gallette and Daifuku were trying to aid them, with their devil fruit abilities,

while others, like Pudding and Amande were rushing others to the slide to get off the plateau,

with Several of the emperors of the underworld rushing to go Down it immediatly, pushing, shoving and stomping their way to the front.

then his Haki gave him yet another vision, that made him cry out in dread

" _No! Mama don't... please!"_

* * *

(on the battlefield)

Nami looked, eyes wide with horror, as Big Mom saw what the navigater had already seen;

Chiffon and Pez, prone and lying near her,

Chiffon was wounded, her clothes torn and her skin bruised, for, as a good mother, she had protected Pez from the Chaos and destruction with her body,

she hadn't been able to shield him from either the noise or the sights however, and now the toddler was crying his eyes out,

his mother trying to comfort the Little boy the best she could.

In contrast, her own mother didn't intend to do any comforting whatsoever.

The way she looked at her 22nd daughter confirmed that, as the obese woman's face contorted into a grimace of rage and deep loathing.

"Mama! please... Don't hurt us, We're family, remember..." Chiffon pleaded in vain as she struggled to crawl backwards,

away from the mother who bore her, and treated her like garbage

 _"Didn't I tell you never to show me that face ever again?!_ ", Big Mom's voice rang out like thunder as she lashed out after her child and grandson,

missing them by mere inches as Chiffon scampered to get away.

the ground had no such luxury, as it shattered even more, creating even more tremors in the already fragile structure of the plateau, the shockwave sending Chiffon and Pez flying through the air, landing with a dull thud, Pez crying and Chiffon bleeding from her temple.

in the distance Nami could hear Bege call out to his wife and child in a panic, undoubtly trying to move to their aid, but unable from the previous trembling.

meanwhile she could only watch, her very being paralysed in fear, as the yonko took another heavy footstep towards Chiffon.

 _"Filthy little child! useless, treacherous, worthless, ugly, little mutineer!"_ Big Mom was almost within reach of Chiffon again, when her voice rang out again _  
_

 _"My crew does not hold traitors alive! little selfish child!"_

"Mama, please, spare Pez, He hasn't done you anything!" Chiffon's pleading fell on deaf ears as Big Mom raised her arm again, black with Busoshuko Haki, high above her head, like some great jeweled scepter held by the queen of Totto Land.

"No child of traitors either!"

the fist descended like a comet,

Chiffon and Pez wailed and cried, one for fear and the other for despair,

From Bege came a wordless scream,

full of pleading and the sound of a man that knew it was utterly futile

Nami looked away,

even though she knew what was coming next.

A sound like thunder,

meat against meat,

the sound of concrete and masonry that gave way for the force of the blow.

Pez, Chiffon and Bege were all still screaming, but now it was from shock,

not dread.

 _"Bastaaaard!"_

Nami knew wwhat had happened even before she opened her eyes,

and yet she couldn't hellp but feel overwhelmed by the sight that greeted her,

Luffy in full Gear 4 mode,

hair as wild as a haystack, grinding teeth, oversized torso that had ripped his formal attire and black haki arms, arms that ended in fists, that he was currently using to asssault Big Mom, pushing her to the side, away from Chiffon and Pez, though only marginallly.

but that seemed to be enough

* * *

(In Sweet city)

Pudding had reached the base of the plateau and immediatly started running.

She knew she wasn't a combatant and her devil fruit could do nothing to stop the destruction that was going on.

But if she could reach the city, then perhaps she could help the residents evacuate.

She briefly thought of her younger siblings, Anana, Dolce, Dragee and Anglais and all the others, but her elder sisters Brulee and Compote were already seeing to their safety. Hopefully that would be enough.

She wasn't alone of course, Baron Tamago and Smoothie had joined in the evacutaion plans aswell and were already herding the panicking population into something resembling order, marching them out of the city, away from the leaning and rumbling Plateau.

Reaching out to a panicking commoner, a skinny man in a sideways dark wig and a striped shirt, she tried to get him too listen

"Look to the Sweet commanders, they'll show y.."

" _Aaaaaaaagh a monster!_ " his scream cut as deep as a knife into Pudding's heart as the man starred at her third eye in utmost dread, his panic deepening and spreading like wildfire, causing other frigthened commoners to flee at the sight of her.

 _"A monster! A monster! Lady Pudding's a monster!"_ despite the rumble in the background, the shout rang out clear enough and it made Pudding speechless, her arms hanging limply by her sides. Deep in her heart, she was crying and wanted nothing more than to exact vengeance on those people that called her that word.

But Mama wouldn't like it, when she came back to her senses and without Mama's patronage Pudding knew, she wouldn't last long in the new world, devilfruit or not.

Though shaking with anger Pudding resolved to at least preserve her own life by serving Mama. She wanted to prove that she wasn't a good for nothing like Daifuku had said, but she couldn't just talk to the panicking crowd without upsetting them at this point, and finding a mirror to cover her eye with her hair was out of the question.

Pondering the situation, Pudding realised that there really was nothing _she_ could do at all,

not directly at least.

She quickly turned towards the hospital and ran as best she could

* * *

(on the plateau)

Big Mom quickly responded to the attack with blows of her own,, striking at Luffy with punches that kicked up enough wind to level trees. Luffy avoided most of the blows, moving out of the way despite his heavily inflated body. But some hit home, and caused him to cough blood.

wasn't enough to stop him though, as Big Mom must have realised, as she a moment later reached for her thundercloud Homie Zeus. Putting her hand within the cloud caused a lightning to go through the Yonko's body, and just as Luffy once again rammed his fist into her face, it struck him aswell.

Fortunately Big Mom hadn't realised that Luffy was made of rubber and lightning had no effect on him.

which was the reason for her reaching for her Sun homie Prometheus. Touching the miniature sun made her body glow with an inner fire, setting the fringes of her dress aflame.

A heat erupted from her form that singed Luffy's clothes and made him cringe, trying to blink away the heat stinging his eyes,

an opening that Big Mom did not neglect.

Her other oversized hand shot out, swiftly grappling the young man's torn shirt. As she tingthened her grip, Luffy was immediatly set aflame, his scream being heard loud and clear above the sound of the crumbling, trembling and collapsing plateau. at least to Nami.

and to Jinbe as a moment later he came flying, kicking Big Mom straight in the face.

while it barely startled her, It did take Big Mom's attention for the briefest of moments, enough time for Jinbe to grab Luffy by the scruff of his neck and pull him awy from Big Mom, tearing what was left of his shirt in the process.

But it wasn't enough time to get out of Big Mom's reach. A fact that both Luffy and Jinbe realised as one of the Yonko's fists shot out, slamming into luffy and continuing into Jinbe like a hammer on a nail, knocking out the air in both their lungs and sending them flying.

The two comrades landed with dull thuds on the fractured ground, but at least the rise and fall of their chests told Nami that they were alive, although badly injured.

In the short distance, Big Mom took a slow step towards CHiffon and Pez, intent on contnuing her previous set course of action.

Nami swallowed hard, neither Jinbe nor Luffy could recover in time to intercept her this time, and Sanji's leg injury was too bad for him to do it either.

Trembling, Nami stood and walked towards Big Mom, preparing her staff to fire, praying to all the gods and fate, definetly fate, that she'd suceed.

As big Mom took another step, the yonko got within reach of her targets

and her foot rose again, intent on stomping out her own child and grandson,

at that moment Nami struck, as she slammed her clima-tact staff into the ground yelling the name of her technique " _Sandāboruto Tenpo!_ ", a lightningbolt struck big Mom square in the face. Nami didn't waste any time as she swung her staff in an upwards position for a followup.

naturally, the lightningbolt had no effect, aside from Big Mom wiping her eyes and blinking once, before levelling her eyes towards a trembling Nami, her face contorted into a rage that was only reserved for those who were trying to deal with a particularly annoying fly.

"I'll deal with you in a moment silly little girl, but first... that ugly _child of Mine..."_ looking down again, Big Mom noted that the mother child duo had moved a scant distance and acted accordingly _  
_

before anyone could act, Big Mom's foot rose again,

and hammered down upon Chiffon and Pez!

Aside from the rumbling that had slowly grown in strenght,

there was nothing but silence...

* * *

And that's chapter 3

as promised this chapter was a bit shorter, not just because I promised myself to write less in each chapter, but because I haven't had my computer for most of the weekend due to a much needed checkup

Chapter 4 will be up as soon as I can,

Please, RnR ladies and gentlemen


	4. Chapter 4

Presenting chapter 4

* * *

(On top of Whole cake plateau/chateau)

Big Mom twisted her foot in the hole that had formed where she had stomped, churning the debris into a fine dust, on the exact location her 22nd daughter Chiffon and her grandson Pez had lain a mere moment before.

Silence still reigned (except for the plateau's continued rumbling), no one had yet dared to speak out against Charlotte Linlin's infanticide.

Even Bege was reigned, his eyes bulging out and tears and snot running from his nose and eyes. A twisted person would have said he resembled a fountain in some mad dream. Regardless of such imagery, Bege's face was the very image of horror and sorrow, a strange sight on a man who himself had done several brutal things, most just for fun, others, like his assassination attempt on Big Mom, out of a feeling of necessity.

Amongst the Big Mom pirates the reactions were mixed, some were indifferent, a few smiled at the beginning slaughter, and a rare few sobbed at the thought of losing a sibling.

The Strawhat crew (plus Jinbe) were, to a man, stunned, not wanting to believe what had just transpired, what they had seen…..

Big Mom was pleased

"One traitor less…. or two" Big Mom smiled a toothy grin, making her wrinkled face take on a more demonic expression than before "Shall we see if that's made her face prettier, eh Bege?" she happily cackled as she started to lift her foot, to inspect the bloody mass she had created.

As soon as she saw what was beneath her boot she stopped smilling and frowned

"Where the hell….?" She could see nothing on either her sole or in the hole "Where the hell did they go?"

"There!" Big Mom roard as she stomped down on a crawling Chiffon, not 2 meters away from where they had been before.

The same happened. A hole appeared, but no corpse smoothie was to be found afterwards.

"What's going on?"

Nami smiled.

Her plan had so far worked perfectly. A quick lightning tempo to distract Big Mom, followed by a Mirage Tempo, simultaneously rendering Chiffon and Pez invisible and creating numerous copies of the two to distract Big mom.

"Chiffon! The invisibility will wear off soon, you need to move! NOW!" Her yell was loud but the rumbling of the leaning tower almost blocked it out.

The Big Mom pirates' attempts to stop the colossal structure from falling was proving futile and the building was beginning to crash down upon Sweet City….

* * *

(In Sweet City)

The citizens were fleeing.

Their panicked screams almost rivalling the sound of the collapsing tower whose shadow they could never hope to escape. Already people were beginning to resign themselves to their fate.

"The hell is going on Pudding? I'm out for a few hours and all of Totto Land goes bananas!"

"Please big brother, just do as I ask, perhaps we can still save those on top of the Plateau!"

Pudding's pleading was answered with a scoff, but fortunately, Charlotte Cracker followed her lead, sending tens of his biscuit soldiers to reinforce the tower and act like support for the enormous structure.

The main part of Whole cake chateau was seemingly stopped, the biscuits joining up with Katakuri's Mochi and Perospero's candy walls, creating a strange form of edible mortar that quickly hardened, holding the damaged tower together.

but the upper part of the plateau, where all the tea parties were held, was still sliding!

* * *

(On top of the Plateau)

The rumbling hadn't ceased, but they were lesser overwhelming than before

But that was not the Strawhat and Firetank Pirates primary concern at the moment.

Big Mom was stomping left and right, trying to crush her daughter and grandchild, or what she thought were them, like a crazy combination of Dance Dance revolution and a game of Whack-a-mole. As the mirages continued to yield no bloody paste, her frustration over being denied vengeance was plain to see upon her face. She looked like she was close to screaming again.

Chiffon had appeared a moment after the rumblings started to lessen, a crying Pez pressed to her bosom as she frantically crawled towards her relieved, and heavily injured, husband.

Getting help from Sanji to stand up properly, she went and hugged her husband, whom to his credit, wasted no time getting his wife and child to safety, deep within his fortress body.

Nami knew they hadn't the time for sentiments either and rush to Help Jinbe get Luffy, whose burned body had receded back into its more manageable normal size, up and move towards their prone ally and comrade. In one swift movement Jinbe picked both men up and flung them, alongside Nami and Luffy, across his shoulder.

After that, the fishman ran as fast as possible towards the edge of the plateau. Up on his shoulder, Luffy was trying to wrench himself loose from Nami's hold on him, not wanting to leave the fight before he'd given Big Mom a good thrashing for trying to harm a woman and a little kid.

Nami was having none of it however and managed, with some difficulty, to restrain and keep her struggling captain seated upon the shoulder. All of that didn't take her attention away from the raging yonko however.

The heavily obese woman had stopped assaulting the mirages and turned her attention back to the fleeing pirates instead. Nami's single consolation was that they were at least far away from the maddened glutton. That however weren't a permanent situation as the whole top of the plateau began to turn on it's side, allowing big mom to accelerate towards them at an unheard of speed, her heavy girth adding to it as gravity got a firm hold of it.

Nami watched in a dreaded disbelief as the whole plateau leaned so much that she could see level with the town below the tower.

Big Mom had seen it too and was howling in rage as the thought of losing her capitol dawned on her.

" _My city! My candy! Mother's dream! Gaaaaahhh!"_ her frustrating roaring wasn't doing her, or her town, any good as she gained too much speed and had become an unstoppable ball of accumulated fat, all but plummeting towards the city on top of the leaning tower.

* * *

(At the other end of the plateau)

Mont'd'Or was cursing like he had never done before, running as fast as he could.

He didn't know how, but the the tamatebako had been filled with explosives. That had set off the whole chaos that was presently underway. Du Fled had left the scene and run even faster than Mont'd'or himself, trying to get off the collapsing building.

Given that he saw a slide leaving the last of the guests off the plateau, Mont'd'Or assumed he'd done just that.

" _Mont'd'Or get to Mama, Now_!" Mont'd'Or turned on the spot, seeing his elder sibling Katakuri stare at him in the distance

" _Wha?"_ Mont'd'Or stared back at his brother in absolute horror, last he'd seen her, mama was having one of her cravings, and his brother demanded him to go to her?

"No Buts Mont'd'Or, do as you're told! Be creative with your powers and this'll work!"

Mont'd'Or stood still for a moment, before he complied, not knowing entirely what to do before he looked upon the horizon.

Then he ran towards Mama.

Back amongst his siblings, Galette turned to Katakuri, her face a mask of confusion and dread

"Why didn't you tell him exactly what to do?" she pleaded, her eyes turning to water as it seemed the world was ending for her and her family

"No way In hell, I could put words on all that until it was too late!" Katakuri said in a confiding tone, hoping, despite what the future showed him of the plateau's fate, that his family would atleast pull through.

* * *

(Amongst the strawhats)

Nami couldn't believe what she was seeing,

The entire area of the plateau where she, her comrades and allies, and Big Mom were all on, was beginning to fold!

As they began to fall back towards Big Mom, whom fortunately had also been caught up in the new circumstances, and thanks to her mass was falling towards the center of the plateau at a more rapid speed.

As she did so, Nami noticed that black lines had appeared along the cracked ground, creating characters, letters and even pictures, some of whom were coming to life as they appeared, and along with the letters and characters were forming makeshift handholds, stairs and even pillars and structures.

"Waaaah?" she heard herself, Bege, Sanji and Luffy scream as Jinbe caught hold on a character and began to climb the appearing figures, carrying his burden further away from Big Mom.

"This has to be Mont'd'Or's work, told you that man was only limited by his imagination!" he yelled above the thundering roar of the shattering of giant teapots and whatever other structures that had decorated the plateau.

Unfortunatle the show wasn't over as the surrounding area was beginning to flip like the pages in a book, sending them downwards towards Big Mom, who at this point had caught on to a giant inky structure herself.

And there she stood, grinning, a fist clenched and her two favorite homies gathered around her like some cloudy feather boa and sunny handbag, awaiting the coming of the her falling enemies, like a batter in baseball, ready to strike the incoming projectile off the field.

* * *

(In Sweet City)

Du Feld was running for his life.

If he was stopped, he'd be taken back to Big Mom and questioned about the tamatebako.

He'd die for sure!

Suddenly he stumbled, falling face first into the ground and rolling like a bowling ball into an adjacent alley, crashing into trashcans and wooden boxes on the way, before finally lying still on the dirty ground.

Shaking his head, trying instill some sense of what was up and down again, before he himself got up, a hand on his still spinning head.

He was alone in the dark alley, nothing but dust and garbage to keep hi company, all quite good really, except for the fact that he was still in the dangerzone, the tower was still coming down!

Turning on the spot, he aimed to get back out on the street and out the town immediately before that happened. But now someone was standing in the way.

" _Get out of My way woman!"_ he screamed feebly at the queen of the pleasure district, trying to push her out of the way. A futile act he learned, and very stupid, as she immediately showed him back to the ground.

It felt like he'd been hit with a whole ship at full speed.

When he tried to get up, Stussy placed an immovable highheel on his chest, piercing his west and drawing blood.

" _What the hell woman! We don't have time for this!"_

Stussy ignored his desperate pleding, only twisting her heel deeper into his chest, earning her a pained grunt from the prone Du Feld.

"What…. Were you doing…. up on the plateau?" her words were slow, gentle yet firm, carefully drawn out like a violin being tuned, Du Feld knew what she wanted immediatly.

"I was hiding!" even as the lie slid past his lips, Du Feld knew she didn't believe him, her further twist her heel into his chest, starting to scrape against one of his ribs, only confirmed it.

"You weren't hiding Du Feld, not with the rest of us any way, you were far off to the side, close to where the blast went off" She said it with such certainty that Du Feld didn't dare lie again

"I wanted to know what was in the Tamatebako! it just lay there, it was perfect!" he whispered through clenched teeth, trying to mask the pain as best he could "and then it fell off the plateau, it opened and exploded! I don't know why!"

Fortunately, she believed him, at the very least she lifted her bloody heel from his chest and wiped it off on his coat before she turned and left the larger man, dazed and confused, but at least alive.

Then she turned and flicked a pebble directly into his head, knocking him out before leaving the scene.

Stussy was in no hurry to leave the scene yet, she had to remain and report what had transpired to the world Government. If she came into a pinch then she could use Geppo to make herself scarce,

Yet at the moment that didn't seem necessary, as most of the plateau had been stabilized by the combined efforts of the Charlotte family and while the top of the plateau had continued to slide, it was strangely enough folding on itself like a book.

Stussy shook her head at the situation, if the plateau folded on it self as it was appearing to do, then all the weight would be redistributed, an act that she was sure that mending couldn't handle and the whole thing would collapse all over again.

Shaking her head she concentrated on the matters at hand, She had to contact the woorld goovernemt, they'd want too hear about what had transpired here today,

about the Yonko's behaviour,

the vinsmokes and their attempt to ally with her,

the contents of the Tamatebako

and finally about the Strawhat and Firetank Alliance, after all big things were happening if 4 members of the worst generation were suddenly in cahoots, and were targetting Yonko no less...

* * *

(On top of the plateau)

Nami was close to panicking as she saw how close they were to Big Mom and her waiting, poised, haki-coated fist, that, to make matters even worse, was currently being orbited by a helix of smoldering fire and sparkling lightning, courtesy of her sun and cloud homies, whose smiles rivalled Big mom's own wrinkly, insidious, drooling grin.

On her end, her comrades were prepared to meet her head on, Luffy having blown one of his fist up to a hundred times its regular size and coated it in haki, Sanji having done the same with his good leg, Bege reaching out a hand towards their destination, screaming orders to his subordinates hiding within his body to fire at his command. Lastly, Jinbe had coated himself in haki, his entire skin having grown black, in acceptance of the clash to come, his arm was outstretched, his hand balled into an iron fist, intent on ramming the yonko like a great dark thunderbolt.

Nami knew two things:

1\. There would be a tremendous amount of pain followed by the smell of burnt rubber and fried Fishman and the sound of cracking bone and possibly stone

2\. That they wouldn't survive this, Unless she made some preparations herself.

Folding out her staff yet again, Nami prepared another of her tempos.

" _That's not going to work twice you little dirty girl!"_ Big Mom yelled in response, anticipating that Nami would turn them invisible and allow them to strike first, but her body could take that and more, she knew that from an experience that the Strawhat pirates wouldn't live long enough to make.

Nami swung her staff, sending out a white cloud in front of them, earning her confused howls from all present, right before the Strawhat pirates (and ally) plummeted headfirst into it.

A moment later they were out again, sliding down her makeshift _Mirukī Rōdo_ ramp at highspeed, where Jinbe's haki-coating hopefully would prevent him from receiving friction damage (if such a thing was even possible when gliding on a cloud).

The shocked parties involved briefly locked eyes with a flabbergasted Big Mom, before they made a sharp turn, leading them away from the surprised Yonko, and off the edge of the plateau.

Big Mom turned her head with an audible snap, an eyebrow raised, her smile giving ground to a frown and her eyes blinking rapidly.

"What the….. _What the hell?_ " she roared in frustration, her fist trembling, almost as if it itself was displeased, that it had been denied the possibility to smash into someone, while her homies mimicked her expression, the sun spitting fire and the cloud little lightning bolts.

 _"You can run, But I'll find you! you hear me? I'll find you and crush you all!"_ Big Mom's scream could be heard above the rumbling of the tower, where the folded side was starting to tilt too much over the rest of the plateau where the rest of the Big Mom pirates had attempted to secure the structural integrity.

It all seemed pointless now, even if all of them chipped in, it was inevitable,

Whole cake plateau was doomed

* * *

(In the air above Sweet City)

"Why'd you do that Nami? We could've taken her!" Luffy scolded as best he could, his burns having caught up with him, stopping him from moving around and running his mouth as much as he'd usually do

"Don't insult Nami-swann, we're alive because of her"

"And still falling through the air Black Leg! How do we survive this?!" Bege howled in panic

Nami's response was to form more whitesea clouds to slide on at high speed, and before long Luffy had forgotten his annoyance and was demanding them to go faster instead, and for once Nami couldn't have agreed with her reckless captain more,

they needed to get as far away from Big Mom as they possibly could and set sail just as fast.

In fact they needed it faster than that, As Nami doubted that they'd seen the last of Charlotte Linlin and her vicious brood, even as she watched Wholecake Plateau collapsing on its own weight, falling down into a pile of rubble. Nami breathed a sigh of relief that the giant structure didn't bury Sweet City under it's tons of masonry. The folding of the plateau had apparently shifted enough of weight to prevent such a thing from happening, saving the residents lives but perhaps damning the Big Mom pirates that had been on top to hell.

Nami didn't know, and although they were her enemies, she thought it too cruel a fate.

The thought of her own nakama brought her back to her senses however

"Bege-san where's the harbour!"

"east of sweet city, we can make it out of there before the dust settles and they come for us" Bege said through clenched teeth, his face pale and eyes watery

Nodding, Nami turned to Sanji

"Sanji, you need Chopper t take a look at that leg, get Inside bege immediatly..."

"Nami'swaannn, you worry about me?" Sanji's words were near ecstatic, his eyes bulging out and forming little hearts at the navigator, whose only response was clench her eyes shut and saay in a non-too pleased manner

"... and when Chopper's done, get him out here, Bege needs help too"

Sanji nodded obediently, his eye never leaving the beautiful navigator even as he disapeared into Bege's chest.

breathing a sigh of relief, part from being freed from Sanji's clinging infatuation and part from their timely escape (all thanks to her no less), Nami steered the _Mirukī Rōdo_ towards the east, happily complying with her captain's demands of increasing the speed. _  
_

* * *

(In sweet city)

Pudding watched as the giant structure came tumbling down behind the heavy façade of biscuits her brother had formed, even their hardness and durability not being enough to support the titanic weight from collapsing. The sound of hundreds of tons of stone and plaster crashing and grinding itself to dust was deafening, the cloud of dust that cam after, as thick as peasoup

She briefly wondered if her family at the top of the plateau had perished, until she saw them appear at the bottom of the candy slide, relatively unharmed, but shaking like leaves, one and all.

Some were supporting each other, like Katakuri did with Mont'd'Or, and others walked tall, like Amande or Daifuku. Galette was wobbling along like several others, trying to find their footing after the abrupt exit from the top of the plateau. Others again had to be carried away, like Streussen, who, when lifted by Oven resembled a little fat teddy bear, almost making the peculiar old man seem cute.

"You're not going to get it" Katakuri said in a conforting voice to his younger brother as they got closer to Pudding and Cracker, a tone Pudding had never thought she'd hear him use, but then again, she didn't know what Mont'd'Or was going to say yet

"I deserve a promotion after this…." her 18th brother mumbled in a pleading manner as he was dragged along the dusty ground, his legs not moving on their own, aside from the occasional wobble. To pudding it was clear he had overextended himself, not suriraing given the fol that the top of the plateau had made moments before it had all collapsed.

But one thing seemed to be missing…..

Before Pudding could speak, Katakuri cut her off

"She'll be here shortly" her said pointing at the sad remnants of the plateau.

"Where's Mama?" Pudding managed to say, a moment before Charlotte Linlin barreled her way through the debris, unharmed, but with her dress in tatters, dirty from top to bottom and with her pirate's hat askew on her head.

She did not look happy.

In fact, she looked like she had eaten a sour candy, a thankfully rare occurrence, which usually gave her a highly unpleasant mindset.

No one needed Katakuri's kenbunshokuhaki to predict that the Big Mom Pirates would be leaving port to chase down the Strawhat Pirates soon

* * *

(On the sea)

Aladine was pinching the bridge of his nose, again.

The whole situation was ridiculous.

Any semblance of battle had evaporated as soon as Wadatsumi had entered the scene, with the other Pirate crew backing down, or rather demanded (roared, screamed and howled to be precise) that the sun pirates get out of the way because they _were in a hurry and had to kill Big Mom!_

...

Aladine had tried to reason with them, but their brute of a captain had been adamant about their course, saying they were late already and that their boss Vivrecard showed that he had already started the figthing without them!

Aladine was thankful that their helmsman (or woman, it was hard to judge because of the helm and heavy cloak about the person's shoulders (though _the way_ Praline had looked at him when he tried to get a closer look, indicated it was indeed female)), that sat far in the back of the giant vessel, guarding some giant sack at their feet, was more sensible and had agreed to not sail further towards Tottoland.

Atleast until they knew more about the situation, to which end Aladine had dispatched his fastest swimmers, Baba and Shar (a Billfish merman and longfin Mako shark fishman respectively), to scout out the waters closest to Tottoland. Ali the Lookout (a Greenland Shark fishman) was in the top of the mast, keeping watch.

The other captain had been fuming, wanting to rip the head of Linlin personally for what she had done had to be restrained from simply jumping ship and swim to the mainland.

When one of the other pirates had threatened to feed him _the GOO_ he had finally relented and settled down, an action Aladine didn't think less of him for when he saw what it was they had mentioned repeatedly...

The sight had made him sick and sincerily question the good of living in a world where such _substances_ could be found.

Aladine really just wanted the day to end, find his bed, go to sleep and hopefully his wife wouldn't be in the mood to cuddle, for there really were limits to what one poor ex-slave could handle in one day!

* * *

(At the port)

Nami was almost relieved beyond words.

The Sunny was docked, intact, unmolested (aside from someone having, in curde big red letters, painted _Snack ferry_ on the side) and ready to sail!

even their tiny sub had been found and returned to the ship, it just needed to be returned to the docking system.

Chopper had expected Bege as soon as he'd been let out of the man, strangely the little reindeer had a very concerned look on his face when he exited, but nami assumed that it was all because of the situation.

Sanji's family had departed without a word, their course set for the giant snails they called a country, not sparring as much as a word, let alone a scoff, with their estranged relative, though Judge did give his third son a long searching look, before he turned around and strode off. Reiju stayed for a moment longer, smiling at her younger sibling, before she followed her father and other brothers.

As she watched the Vinsmokes depart, Nami felt a pang of sadness, not for parting with them but because they were so arrogant that they believed that they could defeat Big Mom on her own territory. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.

Brook apparently agreed as he began to play a sad tune (Author's Note: think _Für Elise_ on violin (it's bound to exist somewhere)) before Sanji stepped in.

"Quit your melancholy Brook, they're not worth it…"

"Does that go for your sister too?" the skeleton inquired and looked at Sanji with deep hollow eye sockets, which could be surprisingly mindful given the circumstances.

Sanji had no answer, all he could do was look away and walk off, towards his kitchen and his pots and pans.

Nami looked towards the Firetanks ship _The Rook_ with its functional castle-like design, complete with turrets and miniature towers bearing cannons. Spotting Chiffon waving at her, she happily waved back, before Chiffon resumed caring for her stricken husband as he lay prone on a bier, bottoms up (strict doctor's orders!), trying to command his crew around with limited results. Fortunately, the Firetanks seemed to manage well enough, going about their business with a practiced urgency, yet not one that seemed to be in as great a hurry as the situation required.

On the Sunny, Chopper was seeing to Luffy and Jinbe, the former being bandaged from top to toe while Chopper was saying something that Luffy didn't seem all too happy about. Jinbe was already going towards the ships helm, fully intent on steering the vessel out of the harbor at a moment's notice. Carrot was completely caught up in taking in the sight of the wide ocean beyond the port entrance (her hands/paws clasped in front of her and with tears in her eyes, no doubt saying to herself that the sea truly were a wonderland) to be of much help and Pedro had taken to unmoor the ship and rig the sails, while Brook were getting the sub back where it belonged in the docking system.

They were getting away.

Nami pushed up Luffy's strawhat (that he'd given to her less than an hour ago, before he'd gone crazy and attacked a yonko!) and looked at the sky above whole cake island. They were growing darker by the second, a lumpy mess of forked thunderbolts, icy rain and lonely rays of scorching sunlight, no doubt due to Big Mom's rage.

Then the ship was in motion, the swiftness with which it left the port and entered the ocean proper seemed like a dream to Nami, yet they had to move faster if they were going to outrun the Big Mom crews' ships. Yet the wind that was being whipped up by the storm Big Mom's rage had caused, was in their backs and they made good speed thanks to it.

Turning towards the deck she saw that Luffy was leaving for the kitchen, Chopper right behind him, begging for him to stop, Nami frowned, how could that man think about food now?

The sound of Cannon fire brought her head around with a snap

* * *

(Amongst the Vinsmokes)

The preparations were well underway, the gathering of the sea snails upon which the Germa Kingdom rested had was proceeding with a flawlessness that would be the envy of any military commander.

Vinsmoke Judge was confident that the Germa 66 could best Big Mom and her brood, his children outshone hers in quality, his army hers in efficiency, his vessels hers in durability. Their troops were trained to be without mercy or remorse, unfailingly loyal to their royal rulers and they were as numerous as the stars upon the heavens.

With the destruction of the Big Mom pirates he could invoke grand benefits from the other kingdoms at the reverie, wives for each of his sons, a mighty king for Reiju (and perhaps a little young princess for himself aswell, you never knew what could be procured) a vast fortune to help rebuild what would no doubt be lost in the battle ahead and perhaps even… perhaps even what he had sought for all these many years… dominion over North Blue!

Judge rubbed his hands and wetted his lips in anticipation of the victory ahead, just as the first cannons began to roar, making him look up in astonishment, his hopes for the future briefly forgotten as the present came knocking on the door.

"Wha…. already?!"

* * *

(aboard the Sunny)

Nami could scarcely believe it, but it was happening.

The Big Mom Pirates had regrouped faster than anyone could have expected, perhaps with the exception of Jinbe and Bege, and they had swiftly engaged The Germa 66's forces upon the waves.

Tarteships that looked like oversized cupcakes, complete with cranberries a top a bed of frosting, going up against leviathan sized Sea snails with castles on their backs.

It would have been humorous, like a child's dream, if it hadn't been so deadly serious.

Then Big Mom's flagship appeared, a titanic destroyer that dwarfed even the sea snails that were swimming around it, it's cannons roaring while the figure head kept up its jolly singing. Atop the crown of the figurehead stood Big Mom, her arms raised with fire and lightning circling from the miniature cloud and sun in her hands. She looked like a primeval goddess sent to smite the wicked.

Next to her, Luffy swore the flagship was larger than Rombus', much to her confusion (Nami decided she'd have to look into that later, if they got away in one piece).

As the _Queen Mama Chanter_ rammed and subsequently sank two snails in one charge, the screams of the giant gastropods were almost as loud as the cracking of their shells, Nami began to doubt their chances of survival.

And as Big mom began to swing her arms, raining fiery lightning towards the other castles, something disappeared from the battle upon the waves. It wasn't the sound for cannons and screams could still be heard quite clearly, it wasn't the pungent smell of burnt gunpowder or the knot of cold gnawing deep inside the bellies of all that were present.

It was something else entirely.

It was courage that died in the hearts of the Germa 66 soldiers whom had dared stand against Big Mom, there was no sound of screaming for how do you put words to true despair? No smell of wetted pants or soiled breeches for it overrode even that, just the feeling of a spirit that died there upon the waves.

And as the battle became a rout and descended from battle for dominion to battle for survival, several Snails began to break rank and flee the carnage as swiftly as possible. Those were surprisingly the lucky ones as the Big Mom pirates concentrated on the gastropods that provided resistance.

Soon, all of Germa started to scatter and withdraw, a few stranglers turning into barbecued escargot, their crews evacuating the snails in smaller vessels, trying to row away, providing easy picking for the Big Mom pirates later on.

But for now, The Yonko's crew didn't mind these minor problems. The victory wasn't complete however, as several of the smaller Tarteships were sinking or running haphazardly into their brother-ships, adding to the chaos upon the battlefield as other vessels approached to help them back towards the shore.

Only one of the warships was not involved in this part of the maritime maneuvering.

For the Mama Queen Chanter was changing its course,

steering towards The Thousand Sunny and the Rook, even as the smaller vessels quickened their pace and tried to outrun the pursuing behemoth.

But it was catching up.

Nami held on to the Strawhat upon her head for dear life, even if the storm above them had stopped its spouting of thunder and lightning, Big Mom's rage presumably sated as she could sense that vengeance was within her grasp, the feeling of dread that threatened to overtake her was all consuming.

Nami didn't relish what she knew would happen if they caught up with them, though at least it seemed that the destroyer was out of shot, having used it's prodigious amount of firepower to silence the Germa 66. But that was a small comfort, the battleprowess that Nami knew Big Mom possessed was more than enough to send them to a cold bubbly grave on the bottom of the new world...

* * *

(Below the battelefield)

"What're you waiting for Shar, swim man, _Swim!_ " Baba howled as he flapped his tail frantically, shooting through the water like a torpedo, trying to get back to Aladine with news of what had happened as swiftly as he could.

The captain would know what to do, he was sure of it!

* * *

And that's it for chapter 4

Things went down a lot different from what happened in the latest chapter, and although I Laughed like it had been a stand-up show from Frankie Boyle, I choose not to use several key elements, because I had a more dramatic version in mind.

I do admit the sea battle was a bit rushed, but it had to be done in order to give the Big Mom pirates probs for sheer power and brutality!

RnR ladies and gentlemen

and Stay tuned for the fifth chapter off course, which so far will be the final one of this fic, followed by a brief epilogue to set up future projects.

Notes:

In case anyone were wondering, the non-canon names of some sun Pirates members (Baba, Shar and Ali) were chosen from (in order to keep with Aladine's name and the fairy tale theme of the Big Mom pirates themselves) the _One thousand and one nights_ stories, being named after Ali Baba, Ali Shar and Prince Ali respectively.

In the event that people are wondering, no, Amande hasn't been confirmed as a member of the Charlotte family, but I'll treat her as a member because I like the idea of that beanstalk being a daughter of Big Mom, which i hopefully will get to use in a later story.


	5. Chapter 5

Out of the jaws of death chapter 5

Sorry for the late update, been busy over the last few week/months, but the length of this chapter should make up for it (I've more than doubled the word count from the rest of the story with this one!) I didn't want to divide it up into smaller chapters, since I already said there would only be five + an epilogue before moving on to my next project: a sequel! More of that in the Epilogue chapter.

There's going to be combat this chapter so beware of injuries.

* * *

(Amongst the Sun Pirates (authors note, their ship has, as of yet, not been named in the manga))

Aladine pinched the bridge of his nose, again, for gods' know which time that one day, all that mad craziness was getting on his nerves. Looking over the patch of sea, wenched in between Tottoland's Cacao Island, Nus, Jam and Candy Island, it had not been easy to cme up with a suitable battleplan...

BUT... the most recent idea that that giant brute of a captain who controlled the other ship, _The Naglfar_ , had had was beyond insane, way into the area of risky, violent and catastrophic that one could expect from a savage like him... and Wadatsumi was ok with it! And it had in fact already set in in motion….. not to mention half of the crew who'd gone with him to help... Aladine almost felt like they were committing unintentional mutiny.

"You know, I think I know why your nose is a different colour than the rest of your skin…"

Aladine looked up just as his wife spoke, knowing full well how Praline would react, if he didn't pay her the right amount of attention within a moment's notice.

"All that pinching must cut off the blood circulation, turning your nose _oh_ _so sore_ ….Shashashashasha!" Despite his mood, Aladine couldn't help but smile at his wife's giggling, even if it was at his expense.

The distraction was short lived however

" _Captain, I see them coming, Big Mom's right on their heels_!" the lookout shouted from the nest, waving his arm to point out the direction they'd be coming from.

" _Well done Ali! You heard him men! Get on your posts, we've only got one shot at this!"_

Turning to his wife, his tone became more comforting

"You need to get off the ship, if something happens…."

"Something always happens when mama is around! You're not telling me to abandon ship like some rat! I'm staying right here!" Praline punctuated her statement with crossed arms, staring straight into her smaller husbands' eyes, daring him to defy her.

Blinking, Aladine cursed himself for not seeing this coming, off course she'd stay….

"But…. Praline… that's where our largest cannon is going to roll back after shooting, the recoil is pretty strong…." He pleaded with her, trying to at least get her to stay at a safer spot, before the hell which Baba and Shar had told him about was upon them and it was too late...

* * *

(aboard the _Sunny_ )

" _Why didn't you bring Franky? He knows how to activate the Coup de Burst_!" Sanji howled as they Sunny avoided yet another projectile, courtesy of big mom, who, due to lack of ammunition for the cannons, had begun to throw cannons at them, like a pitcher in baseball.

Fortunately the woman wasn't terribly accurate. Yet the splash when the cannons landed and broke the surface right next to the Sunny drenched the entire deck in a small tsunami of brine.

Whatever it was Katakuri threw wasn't faring much better either, but the revelation that it was jelly beans, had made Luffy (and Chopper) agitated from not getting more candy to eat.

"Luffy wanted to get you himself!" Nami threw back, after she had wiped the worst of the salt spray out of her eyes, "Franky wanted to build weapons against Kaido!"

"Then why'd you come with him Nami-swann?" Sanji's pleaded, his eyes forming little hearts before he continued "You'd be much safer on Zou! With all the pretty mink-chans" at which point his tongue lopped out of his mouth where drool was beginning to stream out, making him resemble a little waterfall _"Wanda-chan, Tristan-chan, Milky-chan…"_ his eye-hearts growing in size at each name recited, as if he couldn't contain all the images in his head at the thought of the female-minks, and their _Garchu_ -practices...

" _Milky! Where_?" Chopper yelled, a blush appearing on his furry cheeks as he stormed to the railing trying to locate the reindeer mink

" _Wanda! Where?"_ Carrot shrieked, hiding behind the mast, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes and her bunny nose trembling.

"Neither of them are here Carrot, Black Leg just mentioned their names" Pedro scolded from the opposite side of the ship, just a split second before another cannon slammed into the water next to the ship's hull, lifting the vessel with a wave that shot under the Sunny, while a spray of seawater shot over the rail and soaked the male mink to the bone.

As he reappeared from the spray, the mink had had his cigarette replaced by a flapping silvery cod, his one remaining eye open wide in shock and consternation.

Nami looked away as he removed the struggling fish from his jaws, instead looking at the Rook to the Sunny's left, breathing a sigh of relief as their allies had been left unharmed by the incoming projectiles.

The sad remains of the Germa 66 positioned far to their right had thus far proven to be either out of Big mom's range, which was unlikely given that the snails with castles on top of their shells were in a very sorry state, the castles either collapsing, were toppled over or burning with some of the snail looking like they'd been through a shredder.

Nami shuddered at the thought of the sea battle, which had transpired mere minutes before. right off the coast of Whole Cake Island.

And had been a completely one sided affair.

Nami guessed it made sense from Big mom's perspective _you-crush-my-tower-I-crush-your-fleet_ though no one knew where the giant explosion had come from as far as she knew.

As she pondered, big mom launched another cannon, and it was a big one, straight in the Sunny's direction.

Nami could see that for once, the woman's aim wasn't off.

The projectile shot straight for the helm where Jinbe was frantically trying to turn the wheel to make the ship avoid the most major damage. But the cannon was coming in too fast!

Luffy had seen it too and had made for the helm at a rapid speed.

Before anyone had seen him approach he had already expanded his form, inflating it like a giant balloon.

He caught the cannon in the right side of his bloated form, the impact forcing him backwards and the cannon pushed almost all the way through his body before it was returned in the direction it came, leaving luffy to deflate and almost collapse from his actions, his wounds still affecting him, leaving Chopper to leap to his side with medical assistance. Meanwhile the projectile had shifted its course, as the cannon wasn't shaped like a cannonball, it ricocheted and fell far off the target (if Luffy had even thought about that). Though it failed to hit Big mom, or her vessel, the cannon crashed into one of the Tarteships that had begun to chase them aswell, demolishing its mast and hindering further pursuit. A small comfort since Big Mom's Mama Queen Chanter was still hot on their heels.

"How can something so big be so fast?" Nami yelled, her frustration clear, a hand firmly placed on the strawhat just as another cannon thundered into the water next to the sunny.

"It's one of big Mom's homies, it has a paddlewheel to use for catching other ships, to use for emergencies!" Jinbe retorted, still holding onto the wheel and steering the Sunny in yet another evasive maneuver.

"What is that Coup De Burst Sanji-san mentioned earlier anyway?!"

"It's an burst the sends the sunny flying into the distance Jinbe-chan, great for escapes"

"That's genious Nami-san" despite the situation Jinbe spent a moment, marveling at the ships abilities, not to mention the one who had constructed it had been so considerate to prepare such a mechanism, yet the moment was quickly over "regardless, we couldn't use it, even if we had the possibility…"

"…. Because of Bege and the others would be left behind" Nami finished for him, taking yet another look at the other ship, thankful that it hadn't been damaged. But it was only a matter of time before Big Mom caught up with one of the two ships. If it was the Sunny, she didn't doubt that Bege would leave them to their fates, if it was the Rook, Luffy would somehow try and help their allies., even if the idiot was heavily wounded.

Nami looked back at their pursuers. Big mom had apparently run out of cannons to throw and was frantically looking for some other projectile, seemingly ordering her subordinates to bring her something else to throw, her arms flailing, leaving a red blur in the air, which Nami got the feeling were giving off a muddled scream.

A minute later a kitchen-sink came crashing into the railing on the sunny, not far from where Nami stood

Nami gritted her teeth at the impact shot through the ships side

" _Watch out! Her aim's gotten better!"_

* * *

(on the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Katakuri cursed silently over the situation. It would still be a while before they caught up with either the Strawhats, the Firetanks or what remained of the Germa Kingdom, all of which when they caught them would delay the chase for the other escapees even further. Which by default was a catastrophe for them, because Mama was angry now!

She was in a mood that rarely happened, like when one of her tea parties got delayed because some candy tax wasn't due yet.

At least that was the feeling Katakuri had as he helped his fellow redhead Galette to stand up again after Mama had gripped and swung her in the air like a saltshaker, just to illustrate a point. Watching his sibling, he concluded she hadn't taken any permanent damage, even though her legs were wobbly, her hair looked like she had been electrocuted by Zeus and she was clutching her mouth trying to stop herself from vomiting.

The two of them fortunately didn't hinder the steady stream of Kitchen utensils, furniture and other easily replaceable items for Mama's new hobby: _Improvised projectile flinging_. Katakuri never thought he'd see that kind of things flying through the air at high velocity, like cutlery in hammocks, drying lines with assorted clothes wrapped around barrels (occasionally set on fire) or sacks of vegetables (some of which already had been peeled and boiled).

Years of pirating on the sea had made him very used to see pirates (crewmembers or not) being grabbed by big mom and flung at opponents during battle. But seeing them being flung at ships and behaving like skipping stone when they failed to break the waves' surface was somewhat new.

Suddenly he stiffened, as his haki showed him a glint of the future.

"What's wrong! What did you see?" Smoothie said, noting her brothers' consternation, worry evident in her voice

Katakuri was silent for a moment before me managed to respond

"There's s ship waiting on the other side of that cape, other than that... I don't know…. Something weird is about to happen soon…. And somehow I can't be of help to stop it…"

"Why not?"

"….I'm just standing there, pointing at the sea… gawking!"

Smoothie couldn't figure out what to say to her fellow sweet commander at the moment, a moment of silence that seemed to last for eternity, broken as suddenly as it began, by Katakuri grabbing Galette's head and forcing it over the railing, prevent her retching from ending on the deck.

Smoothie was secretly glad for the distraction while she padded her sisters' back, her large hand shaking the younger womans´ slim form with each clap.

For whatever could put Katakuri out of his wits was bound to be mortifying!

* * *

(On the _Sunny_ )

Brook had, unknowingly to all others, retreated to the lookout post at the top of the mast, figuring he'd be of more use up there than down on the deck (as well as for more safety from projectiles)

"This sends a shiver all the wasy to the bone, BUT I'M ALL BONE!" he cackled, just as he saw a washing tub, half full of potatoes, shoot right past the mast, leaving a rain of tubers falling into the ocean and onto the deck, one of them knocking Carrot to the ground, holding her head in shock at the experience. Brook briefly followed the tubs' trajectory as it crashed into the sea ahead of them.

The ocean of Tottoland was filed with islands which could give them excellent cover, if they could just get Sunny behind them. Looking down at Jinbe, the skeleton figured he'd aimed for that at since the beginning, never straying too far off course, even though it seemed to matter little hat they did, Big Mom was still catching up.

Brook turned his head and saw that the Rook had been hit, by a kamikaze member of the big Mom crew who were too groggy after the landing to put up any kind of fight and was quickly tossed into the sea. The next projectile managed to shatter apart of the ships sail, which Brook thought was quite well done by what appeared to be a pink frilly cushion from an overtly large recliner chair, the rest of which had crashed into the railimg, demolishing it completely. The Firetanks, to their credit, wasted no time in getting the torn sail down and a new one up, not wanting to slow down for repairs. They knew what awaited them if they got caught.

Something which, from Brook's perspective, paled in comparison to what would happen to him. The thought of being turned into Big Mom's very unwilling sleeping doll sent a shiver down his spine, which quickly spread to his entire body courtesy of his body composition. The sight of the woman in the stern of her ship, lopping whatever strange object at her quarry that her crew brought her didn't do him any favors. They were close enough to hear the song of the Mama Queen Chanter, singing happily that it " _Was a ship, da ba dee dabe da da, da beem dee, da beem, da deem da_!" and if it hadn't been for the stress of the situation, Brook was sure he'd have sung along happily. But at the moment he couldn't even bear to look in the direction of the obese Yonko, and turned towards the front again, just as the ship turned a cliff bordered cape.

" _Oh no_ , what now?!"

* * *

(on the deck of the _Sunny_ )

Nami swore as she helped up Carrot, who apparently had been struck down by a potato, courtesy of Big Mom's latest projectile.

Hopefully the Yonko would run out of improvised ammunition soon, but given the trouble the woman had already given them, Nami didn't relish the prospect of fighting another yonko, but then they would have a whole country (provided they could liberate Wano), not to mention Law and his crew to back them up. But would that be enough?

Nami doubted it, as she flung one of Carrots arms over her shoulders and dragged the mink over towards Chopper and Luffy. Luffy looked a little better , even though it was hard to judge since, to nami at least, Chopper had just put new, and more, bandages around him, making him resemble a mummy more than a 500 million Beli pirate.

She breathed heavily her burden, the little bunny mink was heavier than she looked, much heavier, or perhaps it was her insomnia, built up over several days, that finally caught up with her. Sanji had also approached them, although in his case is was as much out of worry for the safety of the two women rather than that of his captain. He was used to Luffy getting injured and being okay moments later, so that wasn't out of the ordinary.

As she reached her crewmates, she overheard Choppers strict doctors' orders "Stay still, no sudden movements and STAY STILL!" just as Luffy sat up from the deck, looking puzzled at in the direction of the stern.

"There's something huge under the water ahead"

"Yeah, I feel something too…." Sanji confided, puffing on his cigarette before turning to jinbe

"Hey, there's something up ahead, below the surface!"

" _Ship ahoy!"_ Brook yelled from the lookoutpost, almost blocking out Sanji's message, Jinbe wasn't long in deciding what held the most urgency

" _How does it look Soulking-san?"_

" _It looks funny Jinbe-san, Yohohoho!" Brook laughed back at the fishman, before clearing his throat (which was only a sound he made, given that he didn't technically have a throat to clear) he got serious "it has a fishhead for a stern…. and a mark like you tattoo on the sail"_

Nami looked up at Jinbe on the helm, seeing the smile that was forming on his broad mouth.

"The Sun PIrates" Jinbe said to himself, pride, relief and worry all mixed together battling for dominance. He knew he'd told Aladine to get away from Tottoland and hurry up, knowing full well that they would be endangered by his decision to leave Big Mom's patronage. But he was also happy to see them come lend a hand in their escape, afterall there were few better ways to cement a new patronage than by aiding your benefactor out of the blue, it always left a good impression.

" _My comrades! They'll be here to aid us, we'll sail directly towards them_ " He howled as he swung the wheel about, turning the Sunny direction slightly, narrowly avoiding yet another of Big Mom's projectiles (this time a trumpet homie, playing the tune of Jaws as it began to sink)

" _One ship more against Big Mom herself!"_ Nami yelled incredulously

"Don't underestimate the power of the Sun Pirates upon the waves Nami-san!" Jinbe retorted shaprly, and before Sanji could berate him about how to talk to women he continued "We have a few new tricks up our sleeves, that Mama doesn't know about, but She's about to" The confident smile on Jinbe's face was so comforting that Naami didn't even feel dread for a short moment.

Then a large, wet scaly hand grapped hold on the railing not far from where she stood…..

* * *

(meanwhile, on the _Rook_ )

"What the hell! On deck men, we're being _boarded_!" Bege howled, as a deep dark blue streamlined and wet humanoid form landed on the deck. No one seemed to mark his words however, which was understandably as he was still lying flat on his stomach, with his butt up in the air, being tended by his crews physician (alias "Buthcer Bob" as he was known amongst the crew) aaaaaand the ship had caught fire from Big mom's latest shot (which, at least initially, had been a teddy bear, that en route to its intended target, due to the air friction, had self-ignited).

The form briefly saluted Bege and his wife before he (at least the open Hawaii shirt indicated it was a male fishman they were dealing with) opened its fangfilled mouth, which to be honest resembled the back a porcupine more than it did a maw.

"Captain Gang Bege?" Bege nodded as he stared into the cold glassy eyes "We'd like you to change course and head for our vessel"

"What for?"

"We got a little surprise resignation in store for Big Mom, it might just save your hides"

Although the needle fanged grin the fishman gave him also gave him the chills, Bege took heart from the idea.

" _You heard him helmsman, change course for the Sun Pirate ship!"_

As he looked at the Fishman he saw that he had turned and jumped over the railing again, supposedly going towards the Germa's vessels.

Despite the pain in his nether regions, Gang Bege smiled in anticipation

* * *

(back on the _Sunny_ )

Nami cringed as she saw the creature flop over the railing, the immense form both taller and broader than hers and Carrot's combined. Nami took in the pointy nose, the glass eyes, the sharplipped mouth and the naked torso (aisde from an orange scarf tied around the shoulder and midriff) all of which unsettled her quite a bit. The mink however stared mesmerized at the silvery blue merman as he saluted Jinbe on the helm (once again declaring the seas a wonderland, but only to herself).

"How're you holding up here sir?"

"No need for obvious questions Baba, how're thing on your end? What does Aladine got in mind?"

"The debut of our newest crewmember" Baba replied with a smile, his sharp features giving him a deeply unsettling look that reminded Nami of Caesar Clowns face. Nami was slightly puzzled when Jinbe mimicked it however.

"Good, I never told Big Mom what else I picked up when I left Fishman Island for Tottoland, She's in for a surprise"

"That's not all sir, we met up with another crew on the way, they were very enthusiastic about fighting Big Mom, their captain said he got a score to settle with her"

"Well where are they?"

"With the new guy"

Jinbe blinked, "Well where are they exactly? The lookout only reported one ship!"

"If I told you that, it would ruin the surprise"

"Yeah Jinbe, it would ruin the surprise!"

Jinbe almost left the wheel to smack some sense into Baba and Luffy, yet an incoming storm of assorted cutlery and broken dishes reminded him perfectly to stay on his post, trying to steer the ship.

Meanwhile Baba was giving Luffy a (for Luffy at least) painful highfive for backing him up, already warming to the rambunctious captain. Carrot stood close to Baba's side and while she was reaching out towards him Nami was gently correcting her "No, **he** is not a mermaid! He's a merman" while waving at Chopper to take a look at the stricken mink's injury worry etched into the navigators' features.

Jinbe decided not to press Baba about it, Luffy wanted, as per usual, to be surprised...

The former Shichibukai almost pinched his nose, though he doubted it would help him the way it always seemed to help Aladine.

Instead he concentrated on geetting in position, noting that the Rook was also changing its course, and the Germa Ships being in the process of doing the same. When the surprise happened, he hoped it was as good as Aladien seemed to believe, else they would end up directly against Big Mom herself, and by the rapidity of her projectiles she seemed to be getting angrier.

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Charlotte Smoothie looked nervously at her brother.

Katakuri had saaid that he wouldn't be of much help soon, yet hadn't been able to explain further.

Now, she waited anxiously of for what ever it was that would befall him.

She needn't wait long, as Katakuri's eyes began to widen, his skin pale considerably and his arms fall limb to his side, dropping whatever jellybeans he had been holding and leaving his trident for Galette to catch as he let go of that aswell.

Smoothie began to sweat while she watched her brother become unresponsive, not paying any heed to the sound of Mama's cursing and howling for more sinks and barrels to toss, nor make a sound himself.

Shaking him didn't help in the least, no did slapping him, and with hands the size of frying pans Smoothie could cause quite the damage, nothing seemd to affect her brother at that moment, his whole being solely focussed on whatever it was his kenbunshoku haki was showing him of the future.

"Mama! Katakuri's seeing something really bad!"

"Not Now child, Mama's triyng to aim here!" the Yonko retorted as she heawed a large piano up like it was a javelin, gouging the distance to the Rook before releasing. As she traced the trajectory Smoothie could already see that it would miss, and that she would be blamed for it, but there were more important matters at hand.

Turning back to Katakuri, Smoothie saw him ever so slowly begin to raise his arm, his hand pointing towards something only he was privy to. his eyes were glassy, his brows were turned upwards in astonishment and his face had begun to turn a bright red, but only in the head so Smoothie considered that her slapping him previously.

Watching her sibling nervously, Katakuri began to stutter, trying to say somthing of great importance...

"Big Brother..." Galette tried in a consoling voice, still struggling to hold up the sweetcommanders trident, not being used to its weight. Meanwhile Big Mom was raging of having run out of shot, but dismissing it as they neared the Strawhat ship and would soon be upon them. The other ship, that Katakuri had predicted, turned out to be the Sun Pirates' ship, obviouslt they had turned traitors aswell, and mostlikely Praline too, Smoothie would have cursed her younger sibling for her disloyalty, had she not been so worried about the future her elder brother had heralded.

As for Katakuri, he had stopped babbling, his glowed, lightly trembling hand still pointing straight forward, to a spot of waves right behind the Strawhats ship, and said in an almost whispery voice, filled with a mixture awe, reverance, fear... and a little hope

"Mama... Who is that _divine_ creature?"

* * *

(Amongst the _Sun Pirates_ )

 _"There they come, signal Wadatsumi and the others!"_

A moment after yelling out his orders half a dozen splashes could be heard after the crewmembers unboarded their vessel, their aquatic bodies sending them straigth for their destination, now it was only to hope that it worked.

* * *

(On the _Sunny_ )

" _We're almost there! be ready for whatever surprise You wanted!_ " Jinbe gritted his teeth as the Sunny neared the Sun pirates ship, The Rook and parts of the Germa fleet doing the same, With Big Mom hot on their heels.

 _I hope you know what you're doing Aladine! Jinbe_ thought as he felt the stress and tension in his head like a storm deep beneath the waves, bubbling like lava, ready to erupt.

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Big Mom was furious, raging, eye-twitching, slaveringly furious,

and yet she was gloating, rubbing her hands like only a woman who knew, that she'd get vengeance on whomever foiled her soon.

She didn't care about Smoothie's continued attempts of getting her attention, something about Katakuri acting funny,

whatever it was, it couldn't be so serious as her 10th daugther thought, Big Mom could deal with those little traitors all on her own, she didn't need the Tarteships that had caught up with their meagre crews of homie soldiers.

But they would make the victory over those traitoors and tea party crashers come all the swifter.

Seeing her Enemies having increased in number didn't face her in the least, them lining up next to eachother in the distance made no difference,

they were ants,

and her crew,

her crew was a giant magnifying glass, consentrating her radiant power into utmost destruction, a fiery hell for her enemies would descend upon her enemies soon, a cleansing fire that would be the stuff of legend, serve as a warning to her other enemiesand pave the way for her ascendancy...

to Pirate King!

* * *

All was quiet as a calm descended over the small patch of sea the ships were arranged upon

there still was the sound of waves hitting hulls, cannons being prepared, orders shouted and the frantric beating of Hearts in the chests of people who knew their time could very well be up. yet there was something in the air, like a balloon right before someone came with a pin to pop it.

but that wasn't the sound that suddenly appeared.

It was like a tousand Little bubbles popping.

not surprising since that was what happened.

the Water right between the ships, Big Mom's and those of Germa Kingdom, the Sunny and the Rook.

for a second it looked like the sea was about to boil

then,

shooting up like a geyser of brine between the ships, another vessel appeared from the dephts,

its hull was pitched Black, low and adorned with shields in the front, a single mast rose from its midst, it's figurehead a huge horned skull, like a humongous type of cattle, fitting the titannic proportions of the Ship itself.

And Its crew.

As the Water fell like a torrent from the vessels ascendancy (accompaigned by a thousand very surprised fish, squid and molluscs and the occasional piece of Big mom's previous artillery), the ship slammed into the sea again, almost threatening to sink before bouncing back up and someone roaring " _OARS_!", causing two pairs of long oars to appear on either side of the ship, propelling it forward like an arrow in the air.

Right towards The _Mama Queen Chanter_!

* * *

(On the _Sunny_ )

The Strawhat crew stood dumstruck.

Jinbe was the first to speak, or rather, Howl!

 _"THAT WAS THE SURPRISE_?!" his voice straining to contain his shock, awe and confusion "GIANTS!"

It took a moment to register for the rest of the crew what had happened, Baba's laughter didn't speed it up much

"We met 'em a few hours ago, said they had to help Strawhat and beat Big Mom, Wadatsumi pulled their ship bellow the Water to ambush them, their captain wasn't very agreeable though, took a while to convince 'em that we were on their side too, hehe"

 _"Giant! they really exist!"_ Carot could hardly contain her excitement at the sight, her eyes galzing over and becomming glassy.

Nami turned to Luffy

"Luffy, do you know them?" but her captain wasn't listening, he himself looking starstuck at the spectacle yelling "COOL!" pointing towards the giant's ship.

"LUFFY!" Fortunately the Young captain wasn't so stupid as to ignore his navigator when she was angry, afraid and impatient

"Huh?"

"When did you meet GIANTS?" Nami had nearly yelled at him, her surprise and fear needing an outlet from all the crazy that had happened that day.

"I met Rudi in Dressrosa, fought Mingo with him"

that Luffy didn't articulate further came as no surprise to anyone but Baba

"Rudi? I thought the captain's name was Hajrudin?"

"Hajrudin the merchenary pirate! He's one of Buggy's men, Luffy did you think this through?" Jinbe asked, even though he knew the answer, Strawhat Luffy NEVER thought anything through.

"M-me-merchenary?!" Nami stuttered in bewilderment, making luffy sweat profoundly, not because of experience or because he had an idea about what she was thinking, it was pure instinct... and a little kenbunshokuhaki.

Less than second later he had wrapped one of his outstretched arms around the mast and launched himself at the giants' ship, much to everyone's shock (and Chopper's very profound outcry at his _doctor's orders_ not being obeyed).

As he flew through the air Nami had come to her senses

 _"A MERCHENARY LUFFY? WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR THAT!"_ her yelling easily reaching Luffy even though he was halfway to his destination.

Luffy didn't worry about her rage, afterall he was out of reach and increasing the distance by the moment.

He did begin to worry slightly about his landing though,

as he was seemingly going to land just next to the giants ship,

into the still turmultuous and raging sea!

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Smoothie stood, mouth dropping low,

people next to her would have thought that it was in a race with Galette's to reach the deck, a competition wherein her Mother, and the rest of the crew, was not being much farther behind.

Looking at the sight that had just appeared from beneath the waves could have that effect. She'd seen Seakings, Yuda and even Bananawani come out of the sea to ambush and devour her, but a Whole ship of giants was something else entirely.

Turning to her mother next to her, she could see that the Wheels in Big mom's head was turning at an alarming rate, threatening to confuse her again, as it had on Wholecake Plateau.

Checking on Kakaturi showed that he was still looking into the distance, his finger trembling slightly more and still looking red, even though it had ben a while since Smoothie had slapped him.

The rest of the crew wasn't in a state of less confusion, the Vessel that had erputed from beneath the waves had brought some unexpected Chaos with it, as the ship's deck was now slippery with fish in some areas, spiny from spiked molluscs in other parts, adn to add to it all, a piano from above had knocked out her eldre sister Compote, leaving Daifuku to try and get the obese woman up, but failing due to Compote's fruithat making the deck even more slippery.

What was worse, the giants were on the offensive.

even as she looked back at the Ship, she heard a loud crash coming from the Tarteship portside of the _Mama Queen Chanter_.

* * *

(On the _Sunny_ )

 _"LUFFY GODDAMMIT!"_ Sanji and Nami screamed in unison, causing everyone not familiar with the strawhat captains' usual behaviour to cover their ears in shock (Which in Carrot's case was quite hard, both because her ears were extremely long, thus preventing such an act to be easily performed, and one of her arms was slung over Nami's shoulder).

Jinbe, having gotten slightly used to Luffy's recklessness, turned to Baba the second the angry shouting had died down

"Baba we need to get Luffy Back, he's in no condition to figth! Can you fetch him!"

"Sure could Jinbe, but... Wouldn't it be best if you all went to help, there's only 5 giants afterall and three of them are on the ship there" Baba looked quintessaly at Jinbe, awaiting a response, before his impatience giot the better of him "Wouldn't it be easier if Wadatsumi just threw you Guys?"

The shocked silence that followed should have been enough answer... but: "Should I call him up now?"

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Smoothie had a hard time comprehending what she was seeing.

Near either of the two Tarteships that flanked the flag ship, a giant was emerging from the seaspray, clawing at the hulls, pulling themselves up on the vessels, all the while they swung their weapons, mowing down the lesser chess Homies like they were wheat before a scythe.

The giant on the portside was particularly vicious in his attacks, after almost clearing the ships deck, the armoured brute shattered the mast with a blow from his heavy spiked Club. Then he proceeded to to tear into the hull of the ship, fully intent on wrecking it beyond repair.

But before the giant had finished his rough dismantling, he turned, looking straight at Smoothie...

or so she thought, for one awestruck terrifying moment, but looking closely, the warrior's bloodshot, rage filled eyes weren't directed at her...

instead they were fixed directly on Mama!

Letting out a wrathfilled roar that gave her the chills,

Smoothie saw the giant bend his knees,

and jump for the flagship!

The setoff made the tarteship go Bellow the waterline, and while it did indeed bounce back up, it had taken too much water in through its holes and would sink in a matter of minutes.

The giant in the meantime had landed in the ocean, his helmincased head disappearing beneath the waves for a moment before two great whirlpools formed from beneath the waves.

Less than a second later the giant reemerged in a storm of brine and seafoam, his massive spiked Club between his teeth and arms outstretched for another stroke as he crashed into the water again.

He would be at the ship soon!

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

The seas were in turmoil, making it had to steer and propel the ship forwards.

The helmswoman swore as she tried to hold the rudder still and make for a clear course. Fropm her postition she could see that Airk was making short Work of his lesser ship, while on the other side Hajrudin had lost his mind and was charging at Big Mom alone.

 _That idiot!_ She cursed to herself as she struggled with keeping the rudder something that remotely resembled even, helped somewhat by the two oarsmen pulling at the oars, propelling the vessel ever closer to the Big Mom Pirates' flagship.

Stealing a quick look behind her to check if the other ships had turned about and joined their mad charge, she was surprised to find something coming towards the Naglfar, something very fast…

And unlucky since it would hit the water just next to her seat.

Despite being soaked to the bone already, she reached out a hand to catch the object, making certain she at least wouldn't get drenched again so soon.

Whatever the object was it moved too fast for her to keep up with, but she did manage to catch a small part of it. As her fingers tightened around the small oval part, she realized two things:

1: the oval object was the head of a normal human male, black hair pointing in all directions through the massive gaps between her fingers.

2: The rest of the man's body was still going down into the water with an audible splash, even through all the yelling and crashing of waves.

She soon realized a 3rd: the rest of the body was coming back up like a yoyo!

Eyes wide in shock she shook her hand to get rid of the body whose limbs had wrapped around her arm, wet and slippery like a long armed octopus, and squeezing.

"What the Helheim!" the helmswoman blurted out beneath her heavy helm as she tried to make the man let go of her arm, which wasn't easy when she needed the other arm to steer the ship.

And the little man was yelling something incoherent too…..

"LEEGGOOOOWWMMIIEEE!" it howled over and over again as it squeezed tighter around her arm, slowly turning the hand redder and redder as the blood circulation was cut off, almost as if a constrictor was trying to suffocate her limb. She was starting to feel a light stinging sensation in her hand from it.

"I'M TRYING TO!" was all she could scream, as soon as her mind caught up with the words.

Finally the man began to unwrap his limbs, allowing her to get some feeling back into her hand and the stinging being replaced by a cold numbness instead. Fortunately, it didn't make her drop the human.

Looking closer at what she had caught she saw that the man was slightly smaller than regular humans (at least to her usual giant standards), black hair and a scrawny build didn't look the least bit intimidating, but she had felt the strength in the little man's limbs and would under normal circumstances be intrigued to see what else the little creature could come up with.

But right then and there she was in the middle of a sea battle.

That didn't stop the man from trying to catch her attention however

"OI WHERE'S RUDIN?" it yelled, loud enough to make her cringe and feel the hairs at the back of her neck raise. She didn't take long to connect the dots

" **Haj** rudin is trying to fight Linlin!" she yelled back, one eye closed to avoid the splashing waves that were tossing the Naglfar left and right. Needing both hands to steer, she dropped the man on the deck before her seat.

The little man looked at her, taking in the heavy fur cloak she wore, the heavy helm that looked like Hajrudin's, aside from a faceguard that covered her entire face usually preventing anyone from realizing she was a woman (until she would remove the cloak and brandish her long axe against them).

"WELL GET US TO HIM! I CAN'T LET HIM HOG ALL THE BATTLE!" the little man yelled at the top of his lungs, waving his arms like a ADHD addled hummingbird

"…. You're Strawhat Luffy aren't you?" she said with a lopsided smile, a raised eyebrow

"Yeah…. And I'm gonna be Pirate King!…wait, where'd you know me from?"

"Hajrudin mentioned you when he raised your flag" pointing at the standard attached to the prow of the ship (along with the appropriate division number), the sight of which made Strawhat's jaw hit the deck at his feet

"I told 'em I didn't want to be some big shot!"

Beneath the visor the helmswoman raised an eyebrow at the little man Hajrudin had sworn to protect, it made her shake her head, though it was more out of nervousness than disbelief.

"….We'll be with Hajrudin soon sir….. " _two crazies and fighting Linlin, could this day get any weirder?_

"I'M NOT YOUR SIR! Just get us to Rudin else he'll beat us to Big Mom!"

 _This has to be stopped soon!_ But even as she saw Hajrudin begin to climb the Big Mom pirates flagship, she knew that it would not be an easy task. Looking at the bag at her feet, she swallowed hard…..

 _I might have to use it!_

* * *

(On the _Sunny_ )

It had taken some explaining, but Baba, at least in Nami's eyes, had understood they didn't want to be thrown at Big Mom by a giant-fishman, that he was only to get some of his comrades to aid propel the Sunny forwards against the wind.

Nami really didn't want to go up against Big Mom, but Luffy was going in that direction, and as his crew they were bound to follow, though preferably at a safe distance. But then again, what would appear as a safe distance, was in Nami's experience to be right next to Luffy, which, when he ran in the direction of danger, wasn't all that reassuring.

Pressing her captain's strawhat further down over the back of her head, Nami braced herself as the Sunny began to pick up speed. Looking over the railing she could see a row of Fishmen and Mermen pushing the ship forward, logically there'd be another on the other side, which Carrot's excited yell confirmed, not being used to the diversity of the aquatic races, even though they shared some similarities with the Mink tribe, at least in Nami's eyes. She'd seen lion, dog and a bunny mink, while she'd seen shark, squid and ray fishmen. The last thought brought back unpleasant memories from her time with the Arlong Pirates.

Shaking her head to clear it she tried to focus on the battel that was to come soon, hopefully she'd manage to make a difference.

 _Preffeably she'd make sure the mercenaries didn't run up too large a tab…._

* * *

(on the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Smoothie watched as the giant climbed the helm of the Ship, tearing at the railing and making the ship tilt and lean with his extra weight.

As he put his leg over the railing and onto the deck, Smoothie could see how large the giant was, towering over herself and Mama combined, built like a bodybuilder or a statue from Dressrosa and with a shiny helm atop his bearded head, which only added, somewhat unnecessarily, to his already prodigious height.

What she was most concerned about however, was the club that he swung over the deck in front of him, clearing it of lesser members of the pirate crew, making the others steer clear of him.

Looking closer at him, she changed her mind.

The most concerning thing about the man was the look in his eyes as he looked directly at Mama, eyes full of hate and rage and a scream on the tip of his tongue.

Next to Smoothie, Big Mom had turned around, scratching her chins, a puzzled look on her face, her eyes looking backwards in time….

"…..That guy looks familiar, somehow….. can't put my finger on it….. hmmmmm…."

Smoothie was too nervous at the rampaging giant to take heart from Mama's indifference to the threat. On her other side, Galette was pulling at Katakuri to at least make him move out of harm's way, but he remained immovable, just pointing at that same spot on the sea, his eyes like glass and cheeks red like newly boiled lobsters.

The giant let out a roar that silenced anything on the deck, almost making several chess soldiers drop down in fear at the sound. Filled with rage and pent up frustration.

Then the giant charged, straight at them, stomping one Compote on the way, the poor woman had just gotten back up, swinging his club in a low arc, clearing the deck of soldiers like a broom would dust on a factory floor. One of the pieces of larger dust was Daifuku, who managed to grab hold of the railing, evading a watery death.

The giant's club ended it ascension above its wielder's shoulder and, holding it in two hands, the giant continued his furious charge, intent on striking Big Mom down, like a crazed version of a child against a piñata.

Big Mom stopped her pondering, put a leg forth and prepared to meet the giant head on.

* * *

(on the _Naglfar_ )

"What's that?"

The helmswoman, despite the situation calling for absolute seriousness, couldn't help but chuckle at the steady stream of Strawhat's questions. What he was currently entranced by was a large tiki mask with gold adornments and feather in half the colours of the rainbow.

"That is a little trophy from our time in the dispatch service" she smiled, partly from the memory of when Hajrudin took it from the Candy Pirates, partly from Strawhat's reaction, which in her defense was hilarious thing to behold with the stars in the little captain's eyes and his jaw hitting the deck yet again. The same reaction he'd had to her gold and silver inlaid axe, the shields of the other giants and the little flag of the Strawhat pirates' Jolly roger they had yet to hoist up alongside their division number.

"And what's this?" Strawhat was already waddling (the best he could do until all of his wounds healed) towards the current object of his attention, which just so happened to be the object right at the Helmswoman's feet.

Two sacks.

"No!" in one swift motion she had retrieved her belongings, tucking her favorite sack into the seat she sat upon, thankful that her helm concealed the blush that was spreading on her cheeks.

On his part, Strawhat just looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"…..That's my personal stuff….. it's kinda important to me…." She started out sheepishly, not entirely sure what she should say to alleviate suspicion from her emergency sack, fortunately, or perhaps tragically, Strawhat had turned his attention to the other sack.

 _Oh no!_ was all the helmswoman could think before Strawhat had opened it with a "What's this then?", releasing a stream of steamy purple-blue smoke that made the little captain gag and cough.

"Tha-tha-that i-is s-something we…. found on the sea…. Hajrudin figured it could be used for something…." She stammered, as a look of dread and worry had replaced the blush beneath her helm "We call it goo…"

Oblivious to her stammering explanation Strawhat sniffed at the steam, wrinkling his nose and getting a strange look on his face, one eyebrow raised as his thoughts raced somewhere beneath his black spiky hair.

"P-please don't think less of us for harboring this…. Substance…. We only though it would be good for intimidating purposes….." the helmswoman began, still insure of how to explain and deal with Strawhat's inevitable reaction of absolute disgust

"This stuff smells familiar…." Strawhat said in puzzled tone before he pulled out the large metal pot that was hidden within the sack

"Huh?"

When he dug it out, the smell of burnt…. Something…. Flowed out, making the helmswoman pinch her nose in disgust and wonder just how the goo could still be this warm after gods know how long it had floated around on the sea, encapsuled by a wrapping of newspapers and an old used sail.

 _Poor Strawhat_ she briefly thought, remembering when Airk had fished the stuff out of the sea and retched as he unveiled the revolting purplish contents. Considering the constitution of her comrades stomach, and that of giants by definition, she could not imagine that a little human could respond in a less dramatic way.

"Hey, it's my random Curry! What's that doing out here?"

Seeing the pirate captain smile at the recognition of the substance, the whole world went blank for a moment as the helmswoman turned the new revelation over in her head…..

"…..That's _food_? ….. That  you _made_?!" she muttered slowly, very word trembling in a mixture of confusion and fear

"Yeah we didn't have a chef so I had to! Tasted bad though…." Strawhat replied, even as he scoopecup a purple lump from he pot, giving it a short look, which was long enough for the helmswoman to see bits of fishbone and uncooked rice mixed into it, making her stomach turn.

"Any way what's in the other bag?" Strawhat said, carelessly throwing the lump he'd grabbed into the foaming sea without a moments hesitation.

Still confused the Helmswoman could only reply with the truth "…. My sweets….."

"GREAT, I'M STARVING!"

"NO! THAT'S MY CAKES! THEY'RE FOR EMERGENCIES!" she howled in reply, snapping out of her stupor as if slapped, making her comrades at the middle of the ship turn their heads to give them a confused look…

with a little hunger mixed into it.

* * *

(Aboard the _Sunny_ )

Nami took the spyglass away from her eye and handed it to Sanji, briefly wondering why his face was bandaged up, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, Luffy was caught by someone on the ship in front of us, he didn't get into the water" She turned addressing everyone one the ship, trying to put them a little at ease, even as the Sunny was charging towards the Big Mom Pirates.

The speed at which they were accelerating was amazing, but she feared, despite the Sun Pirates prodigious speed in the sea, that they would not be able to do much about the battle that was taking place between the giants and the Big mom pirates.

Even if they survived the battle that was unfolding, she had a horrible premonition that they'd still ave to pay the Mercenaries for their services.

The thought made her shiver to her core…..

Which for some reason Sanji copied as he looked though the spyglass. Turning to the bandaged chef, she mentally slapped herself as she saw the telltale signs of steaming breath, tongue out of his mouth and hearts in his eyes, _She should have known!_

Panting like a dog Sanji removed the spyglass and with his tongue still out of his mouth and a finger pointing straight at the Naglfar, began to speak "We got to get to that ship! There's a woman on it! A GIANT WOMAN!"

First he screamed it a the Sun pirates whom were already busy pushing the Sunny towards the frontline. Then he turned to Jinbe who was still at the helm "JINBE! The Sun Pirates can steer the ship! Your swim me to that Giant Woman!"

The fishman merely looked at him "You're right the guys can guide the ship to the front and I can geet there faster, but you're wounded and shouldn't get more hurt right now"

"YOU'RE TWICE AS HURT AS I AM!"

"SANJI, YOU STAY HERE! DOCTOR'S ORDERS!" Chopper howled in frustration, tired of having his expertise being disregarded at every given chance.

Nami concurred, turning towards the former Shichibukai "Jinbe-chan, go, we'll get there as soon as we can! Sanji, SIT still and don't disturb our friends"

Nami had half expected Sanji to be crestfallen at her words, instead he was gushing over her "You're worried about me Nami-swann?"

Rolling her eyes, Nami took the spyglass away from him, just as Jinbe hit the water and disappeared beneath the waves. Meanwhile Chopper and Carrot had rushed at Sanji, one pinning him down and the other chomping on his ear with a "garchu", making Choppers gesture futile as Sanji was too focused on the minks attention on him to bother jumping after Jinbe.

Ignoring the chefs and the doctor's wrestling match, Nami looked through the spyglass, and saw something that made her blood run cold and her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth.

* * *

(on the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Smoothie looked mesmerized as the giant charged at mama

Even though the man outweighed her at least 5 times, her height barely reaching his midriff, and him being armed with a club almost as large as himself, Mama didn't seem afraid in the least, confident in her iron hard skin and terrifying strength.

Smoothie took heart from the sight, for even if Katakuri was incapacitated, and Smoothie herself doubting she could fight the onrushing monster, Mama could be trusted to take care of that sort of challenges herself. Truly, she would always remain her crews' backbone.

Suddenly Mama's head jerked up, then turning with an audible crack, tongue out of her mouth, saliva dripping from her teeth and a greedy look in her eyes

"WHO SAID CAKES?"

Smoothie didn't even have time to worry as the Giants' club rammed into the back of Big Mom's head with a sound like a building collapsing, shards flowing everywhere and Mama's hat Napoleon falling down on top of her, even as the club continued over her own head.

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

The helmswoman saw it happen and still could believe her eyes,

In front of her, Strawhat's jaw had hit the deck, all thoughts of the cakes and the Random curry forgotten.

* * *

On the sunny Nami stood awestruck at the sight.

 _How is that even possible?_

* * *

(on the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Smoothie gaped at the sight

The club had been partially pulverized and fractured as it had connected with Mama's head, the impact only managing to make her get a little off balance and ruffling her spiky pink hair, which had gotten tangled with several pieces of the destroyed club.

Mama's only reaction was to turn around as the giant, unperturbed by the loss of his weapon, simply let go of the useless shaft that remained of it and struck at mama with one of his elephant sized fists, the other hand reflexively grasping onto the deck in front of him, securing additional support for the unfamiliar crouched position the giant had set his body in, all the while splintering the wood between his armoured fingers.

Mama sneered as she turned, once again set on meeting the giant head on

The giant himself opened his massive jaws and roared, even as his fist thundered towards Big Mom's face, a chilling battlecry, so loud that it could be heard all the way to the Thousand Sunny

 _"FOOOOOR JOOOORRLLL!"_

Even if Charlotte Linlin recognized the name, she gave no sign of it

All she did was catch the giant fist in the flat of one of her palms, even as the gauntlet rammed towards her like a crush of rhinos. Although she stopped the massive blow like it was a butterfly, the impact still splintered the deck beneath her feet, and beneath the giants' where he had tried to get extra support for his attack.

Smoothie and Galette stood slack jawed at the titanic display of strength, this close they could see all the muscles in the giant's arm tensen and tremble as he still tried to force his fist forwards. They could see his eyes beneath the visor above his wild beard, bloodshot and with the pupils almost gone, whether it was because of the strain of competing with mama over strength or the fury he had displayed all this time, neither could tell.

Letting go of the splintered deck, the giant raised his other fist with a curse on his lips "DIE demon!"

He never got a chance to land the blow, as Big Mom yanked the fist she was holding forward, imbalancing him and leaving him open for a counter attack of her own.

Her fist shot out, catching the giant warrior underneath the chin, sending him skywards with a clap like a hammer hitting and anvil.

He didn't get that far though, for Mama still had a firm grasp on his fist, yanking hard at it again she slammed the giant onto the deck, ignoring the frantic panic of her crew and children even as they hurried out of the impact zone, which was impossibly since it was the whole ship, which under the strain of the giant ramming into it was hopping in the water like a child on a trampoline.

Smoothie was lucky enough to catch hold on the railing next to her, and to a still oblivious Katakuri, who despite all that was happening in front of him, was still pointing at the same spot on the waves, unresponsive to everything around him.

Galette wasn't as fortunate as her elder sister, the impact had made her loose her balance and the hopping had sent the ginger overboard. Smoothie only just managed to catch her by the scruff of her cloak by the tip of her shoe. Galette was trembling ferociously as she swiftly wrapped her arms around the limb like a boa constrictor would its prey, her eyes wide open, too afraid to dare close them and holding on for dear life.

Meanwhile the giant had gotten to his feet, blood running from broken teeth, but with the same single minded look in his eyes as he raised his fist again, even if Big Mom was still holding onto the other one.

A fact that remained her primary advantage in the fight as she swung him around like a baseball bat, felling one of the Mama Queen Chanter's masts before she flung him at his comrades all the way over at the other Tarteship, hitting him with the other giant like they were a pair of giant petanque balls, sending them flying into the sea beyond and sinking the already damaged tarteship.

With the treat removed mama turned towards the on rushing longship, a small hand scratching her chins

"That guy sure looked familiar….. must have seen him somewhere…."

* * *

(on the _Naglfar_ )

The Helmswoman swallowed, forcing down a glob of dread infused bile at the back of her throat

"We have to stop this, we can't battle that _monster_ yet!"

"We can _too_!"

"A fight we can't survive isn't a fight at all Strawhat-san"

Even as they two of them argued a wet scaled hand reached up over the railing. A moment later the rest of Jinbe's massive body followed "Luffy, there you are, how are things going?"

"Bad o _knight of the sea_ , Linlin just beat Hajrudin and Thorkell without breaking a sweat, they need help to get out of the water, _please!_ "

Eying the helmswoman with a tad of puzzlement, Jinbe nodded, placing a foot on the railing, but before he jumped back in he turned towards the helmswoman "How are our chances right now?"

"Bad, Hajrudin and Thorkell are our best fighters, and there's more of those _cakeships_ on the way behind Linlin's vessel, even with that giant Fishman we still won't have much of a chance to even see the shadow of victory"

"Then we need to end this!"

Thinking back, the helmswoman nodded after a brief contemplation "I might have something that'll work, but I'll need to talk to Linlin…. and even then, it's a long shot after all this…." Gesturing at the broken ships and the partially damaged Mama Queen Chanter, even Luffy managed to catch her drift, being all too aware of the devastation and chaos that had already happened.

"Very well, but better be quick about it, I doubt that Big Mom will stay still and wait for us to do something"

Jumping into the water he left the Strawhat and the helmswoman behind. She on her part was very worried about her idea, not knowing whether it'd work or if Linlin had changed so much over the past 60 years that it'd be futile to even consider.

"What giant fishman?" Strawhats' question brought her back to the present, but she choose not to answer it directly "Hopefully he won't be needed" gulping down the glob of bile again, she called out to the oarsmen midship "right boys, no ramming speed, but pull hard…. and when we're up there… you let **me** do the talking!"

Taking their silence as consent, the helmswoman hoped that her idea would work.

* * *

(beneath the waves)

"Why 'm I not goin to helb'yet?"

"Because you're our trump card Wadatsumi! We can't unleash you until it's the right time!"

"Bwen's dat?"

"… not right now"

"Bwen's now den?"

"… Captain's decision, you just got to wait" at this point the cod merman had run out of answers, and lost almost all of his patience, trying to figure out when it was the right time for him to send in Wadatsumi. Getting that huge amount of muscle had it's advantages, but also drawbacks, as they had to accommodate Wadatsumi's huge size, strength and general lack of intelligence into a battleplan that was supposed to be successful. That was hard to come by when they were dealing with something as chaotic as a sea battle, especially against Big Mom!

"Shashashashasha"

The sound of Miss Praline's distinct laughter made him turn around to face the fast approaching mermaid. She however, ignored the merman completely, instead focusing on the much more potent Fishman. Floating close to the face of Wadatsumi the large mermaid was dwarfed just like any other Fishman or merfolk (or giant for that matter) would be, and while most would be intimidated by the sheer surplus of volume, the wife of the captain didn't shy away, perhaps because she was used to deal with gargantuan entities that could kill her in a heartbeat, especially if Big Mom unexpectedly developed had a craving for sharkfin soup or fish'n'chips.

"Ok big guy, time to move"

"Yeayh!" Wadatsumi chimed as he clapped his hands in excitement, happy to finally be allowed to do something

"Uhhh, Miss Praline, where does the captain want him too go?" the merman was scratching the back of his finned fishhead as the words left his mouth, one part of him being worried about not knowing the plan and another…..

"Whereever I tell Wadatsumi to go, and that's the surface for now!"

….being very afraid that Praline was making the decisions at the moment. Not that it was a bad thing automatically, but she had little battle experience as far as he knew, not to mention that she was willful, stubborn and definitely fierce. Traits that, while useful, didn't always equal an advantage in combat, especially for strategic purposes.

Even as the thoughts appeared in his head, Wadatsumi and Praline was already on the move, swimming for a newly appearing wreckage of a Tarteship far in the distance.

* * *

(on the _Sunny_ )

They were nearing the other ship now

The fact that the longship had slowed its pace had helped a lot, not to mention the two lines of Sun Pirates pushing the Sunny forward. Baba had appeared on the deck again, reporting that Jinbe was fishing the two giants that had been flung into the sea by Big Mom up again, although one of them was more accurate, as the one who'd taken on Big Mom directly had been far more injured, while the other one was atleast capable of swimming himself, almost unsupported.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Nami pulled the strawhat closer down over her head, trying to keep it safe for when Luffy eventually came by to retrieve it. Tying the cord around her chin for extra security, she didn't feel particularly prepared for the, hopefully very brief, skirmish that would be upon them soon.

Scanning her friends she could sense that they were tense as well, Sanji puffing on his cigarette like crazy beneath his bandaged face, Chopper shaking, his fur all sweaty and with a worried look on his face even as he transformed into his _heavypoint_ form, the sound of Brooks' stammering singing in the crows nest, Carrot looking straight ahead, scanning the horizon for a glimpse of the giants, perhaps instinctively trying to avoid the sight of Big Mom's flagship, looming large in the horizon. Pedro merely stared straight ahead, as calm as a summer day, as if he was content with what was to come…..

Needless to say, Nami was not!

And when she saw the longship make an unexpected turn right in front of Big Mom,

She feared more than ever on that whole trip!

* * *

(on the _Mama Queen Chanter)_

Smoothie had just finished pulling herself, and Galette, up from a very uncomfortable position.

Placing her still trembling little sister next to a, now slightly shaking, Katakuri, Smoothie noted that Mama was still looking puzzled into the horizon, trying to figure out where (or if)!, she'd ever seen that giant before. In one swift motion the enormous woman dismissed it and reached for Napoleon and placed the giant hat on the top of her pink haired head, covering the bandanna she wore underneath.

Turning to Katakuri, Smoothie briefly, again, wondered what was having such a large impact on her brother….

 _Nervousness? Unlikely, since she'd rarely seen him be anything less than self-assured at all time_

 _Fear? Hopefully not, since she'd seen him when Mama had her urges and he tended to have a clear head even then_

 _Anticipation perhaps….._

A sudden rush of red coming over her brothers' face brought her back to reality, following the direction of his finger she saw the giants' ship being too close for comfort.

Looking again, however, was really quite comforting: Counting only three giants, and having already seen Mama dispatch the seemingly most ferocious one with almost disdainful ease, the odds were in their favor, Katakuri's premonition or not.

Seeing the ship turn in front of the Mama Queen Chanter, puzzled her a little, until the helmsman rose in the rear of the ship as it rotated in the water, making the longship float sideways in the sea in front of them, preventing them from going forward, at least until they had cleaved the longship in two against the keel. The momentum of the longship was slowly, but surely, closer towards the Mama Queen Chanter. Soon the ship would be right in front of them.

"They want to parlay!" She heard herself say, almost not believing what she was seeing "We'll destroy them in two minutes flat!"

"W-well atl-least the helmsman… isn't as big an idiot…. as the other two" Galette joined in, still not feeling to well after hanging from the rails in Smoothie's leg.

Next to them, Mama was scoffing

"Pffffft let's hear what they have to offer, then we'll sink'em!"

"What…." Turning to her brother as he suddenly spoke, voice trembling, almost threatening to break into a whisper or a squeak, Smoothie noted Katakuri's face had softened considerably, turning from absolute shock into something approaching a mild disappointment brought on by an anticlimax "…a mundane….. name…."

Both Smoothie and Galette looked at their brother with even more confusion than before, unsure of how to react to his behavior

Down in the Longship, the helmsman stood up and arm still raised, the other one held down at the side, clutching something that was struggling to get free

"LINLIN! A WORD IF YOU PLEASE"

A short moment of silence followed, while Mama herself hadn't responded on the call yet, apparently still mulling things over in her head, Smoothie decided to correct the helmsman

"IT'S CUSTOMMANRY TO ADRESSE A QUEEN WITH _YOUR HIGHNESS_ , OR A YONKO WITH - _SAMA_ ….. NOT TO ADRESS THEM BY THEIR FIRST NAMES!"

Pausing a moment to ensure she had the helmsmans' undivided attention, and to ensure mama wouldn't tell her to shut up, Smoothie continued, momentarily relieved that the longship was now so close she didn't have to yell anymore

"Are you unfamiliar with manners? Or do they not teach that to on Elbaf?"

The helmsman slouched his shoulders and turned to look at Linli

"Oh I think Linlin can forgive a little slip up, for old times sake…." The giant tried to keep his voice even, hiding the fact that he was terrified by Mama, despite her confusion at the giants' insistence on audacity, Smoothie smiled inwardly before she opened her mouth to respond….

"Smoothie, can it!" Shutting her mouth with a small clap, Smoothie turned to her mother, being used to her commands and taking a little heart in the fact that Mama appeared to finally have stopped caring about the warrior she dispatched earlier "What _old times_?"

"Hmm, I guess it makes sense for you not to remember me, it's been some 60 years since last hasn't it….?" the warrior sheepishly scratched the back of his helmeted head in embarrassment, the little clump of _whatever_ it was in the other hand still struggling like crazy

"I CAN'T SEE WHO YOU ARE, BECAUSE YOU'RE WEARING A _FULL HELM_ , YOU TWIT!"" Mama sneered at the helmsman, a sweatdrop forming on her temple from both frustration and impatience

"…. Oh, yes, of course, Sometimes I forget it's there and…. I'll just get that, one moment, I'll just have to…." the giant started to fidget with his helm, soon realizing he couldn't loosen it with one hand, so looking shortly at the other one, he wrapped the struggling clump (which surprisingly had sprouted arms and a black haired head!) into a leather cord tied to a huge axe next to him.

Smoothie had to stifle a laugh as she realized that the clump was none other than Strawhat Luffy, trying ceaselessly to free himself from the cord, in the end settling for trying to bite his way through the dark leather. Judging by the snort next to her, Smoothie could guess that Galette had seen it too.

The helmsman in the meantime had loosened the strap around his neck and begun to take off the helm completely.

And not a moment too soon, as Mama had begun to grind her teeth in frustration

Taking off the helm revealed a mane of dark honey blond hair with a pair of braids framing a fair skinned face with a pair of big shiny blue eyes to complement the sheepish smile that had formed on the person's face. What took Smoothie by surprise however was the fact that the helmsman was, in fact, a helmswoman, a fact which was further punctuated when the cloak opened up to reveal an mailclad, but definitely feminine form beneath. Though not as tall as the other giant that had fought, nor the ones that manned the ships' oars, the giantess seemed to still be about twice as tall as Smoothie herself, and at least a head taller than Big Mom

"Sorry about that, I sometimes forget I'm wearing the damn thing hehe….." the giantess shrugged, two palms facing upwards as if the woman was trying to lift the mood of the situation, even though the only thing Smoothie could see being lifted was the helm in the woman's' hand.

Next to Smoothie however, Big Moms' face had softened considerably

"…Is that?... it can't be…..canit….? GERTH?!"

Smoothie looked up at her mother in surprise, not expecting the shocked look of realization and recognition on her face, her scowl from before turning into something akin to a smile, and not her usual one when she was fighting and winning (which was basically the same for her) but like when she greeted a guest at one of her tea parties.

Looking back at the giantess Smoothie could see the woman (apparently named Gerth) was nodding in confirmation, the sheepish smile from before having returned and broadened. Then she noticed that she stood exactly on the spot in the sea where Katakuri had been pointing for the past several minutes…..

 _What the….?_ She thought to herself as she looked at Katakuri in bewilderment. Noting that Galette was doing the same but with only one eyebrow raised she signalled her little sister. When she looked at her, Smoothie nodded her head towards Katakuri, a sign Galette picked up on rather fast.

 _"Well…."_ Galette started to whispermumble from the corner of her mouth "…. _at least_ _we can't blame him for having bad taste…."_ Ending her sentence with a shrug the redhead turned her attention towards the giantess down in the longship, leaving Smoothie to do the math.

"….Guess we can't…." she mumbled to herself before turning back to the conversation between Mama and Gerth, a faintly amused smile on her lips.

It had basically just been "it's been so long – I could barely recognise you, you've sure grown so much! (that sort of generic thing you see at reunions)"

Clearing her throat, Gerth straightened her back a bit and look at Linlin with a serious expression

"Linlin…. We need to talk…" Big mom looked at her old playmate with a puzzled expression, the disappointment of having her reminiscence interrupted evident in her features

"….About all of _this"_

"….indeed we do…." Big Mom nodded "But first…. There's a small matter of people making a ruckus" her voice having turned partially melodic as she turned to Smoothie, the tenth daughter of the Charlotte family caught on rather quickly

"CALL ALL SHIPS, CEASE ALL ATTACKS! I REPEAT, CEASE ALL ATTACKS!"

"No need to yell _that_ loud Smoothie"

"Sorry Mama…"

* * *

(on the _Sunny_ )

Not close enough to hear anything that was going on, Nami was relieved to see that the fighting had stopped, but not what else she saw in the spyglass

"What the…?! Luffy's been tied up!"

"Whaaa! Let me see Nami-swaannn!"

Handing the spyglass to Sanji, Nami tried to mull the situation over

 _Could they be trying to make a tradeoff with Big Mom? Luffy for their safety? Did they lose heart so fast?_

Sanji didn't share her concerns, being solely preoccupied with something completely different.

Tongue lopping out his mouth and panting heavily with hearts in his eyes, it wasn't hard to figure out what he was thinking about, which made Nami wrest the spyglass from his very reluctant grasp, though he stopped when she glared at him sharply, leaving him slightly depressed somewhere beneath his facial bandages.

Once again in possession of the primitive binoculars, Nami put it to her eye again, despite Chopper, Carrot and Pedro's protests.

Nami saw that the giantess was talking to Big Mom, who was pointing at Luffy with an anticipating smile, only for The giantess to shake her blonde head and wave her hands frantically, apparently declining Big Mom's question.

Breathing a sigh of relief that she had seemingly been wrong Nami began to explain the situation to her comrades.

* * *

(on the _Mama queen chanter_ )

"WATDYAMEAN _NO_? YOU SAID YOU HAD SOMETHING FOR ME!"

"I did Linlin, but not Strawhat….. the captains' kind of made this deal with him… it's hard to explain…."

"Deal? Captain? If you're not the captain then where is he?!"

"…..You threw him in the water a moment ago Linlin, and as I said, it's hard to explain…"

"that big guy! That's your captain? Then why am I talking to you?"

"Because Hajrudin prefers to do things with his fists see, he's always been like that, if you recall…"

"Oh yeah, that violent kid! Damn he sure grew up huh?" Big Mom's laugh was almost infectious, the smile strangely disarming "He used to be this little runt this tall!" holding up an arm in shoulder height Several of Big Mom's children looked at her with a bit of skepticism, not recognizing something that was taller than either Smoothie or Katakuri as a _little runt_.

"He's Hajrudin the mercenary pirate then?" seeing Gerth nod in confirmation made Big Moms' smile change nature, from amiable and nostalgic, to greedy and vicious "then I know what deal he's made… I'll just raise the price by a million Beli! That ought to make you stop making a ruckus and being so selfish!"

Gerth looked at Linlin with something that approached fear rather than worry, not sure of what to say

While not having had the most luck with his cord, Luffy had suddenly gotten very interested in the conversation "HEY! I'M WORHT 500 MILLION BELI, NOT ONE!"

"You'll be worth 2 Beli when I'm done with you Strawhat, one for the Strawhat and one for the rags on your back!" turning her attention back to Gerth, Big Mom's smile had all but vanished, replaced by a devilish grin "Well how about it? One million still buys a lot of sweets! Not enough sure, but some at least"

"…..actually we're not for sale, and neither is Strawhat-san for that matter…."

"If you're not giving him to me then why did you bind him?"

"….he kept trying to eat my cakes…"

A moment of silence followed, only the wind and the crashing of wavs against the hulls of the ships could be heard

"CAKE!" Big Mom's shout could be heard all the way to the Thousand Sunny, leaving no doubt in mind what had been said, although it raised more than a few eyebrows.

"I knew somebody said cake!" Big Mom's words came out like bubbles popping gently, drool appearing at the corners of her massive mouth, dropping un the deck with a sizzleling sound

"Yes…" Gerth Smiled, showing cear rows of near perfect white teeth "…and not just any cakes either, Semla!"

" _Semla_!" Linlins' eyes had all but glazed over, her voice barely audibl from the amount of saliva in her mouth, which prompted her to grab something to wipe her mouth with (unfortunately that was Galette's cloak, and despite her protest, Big Mom had no qualms about using it as a large ruffled napkin, forcing Galette to quickly discard the rapidly dissolving garment into the sea, much to her chagrin)

"Sweet dough with Almonds, marzipan, whipped cream and powdered sugar on top?"

"You remember, wonderful!"

"How Could I forget that wonderful taste and mouthfeel? So rich and filling…." Big Mom looked wistfully and the horizon, tongue lopping out of her mouth and panting like a dog, giving her the appearance of a large pitbull that was being baited with a treat right in front of its snout.

"…..Then…. you might not be happy to hear that the recipe has been given an overhaul…." Gerth stopped her description for dramatic effect, trying to gouge Big Mom's reaction and emotional state, fortunately the Yonko was caught in a downward spiral of absolute gluttony, something which Gerth took into account as she listed the additions to the classic recipe, One. Delicious. Ingredient. At. A. time:

"…. Now those I've brought also includes custard with vanilla… and rum flavour….. jam made from Strawberry….. Raspberry… and Mulberry… and icing on top, riiiiiight next to the powdered sugar…"

On the _Mama Queen Chanter,_ Big Mom looked like she was prepared to jump from the ship, swim through the sea and do tricks for a taste of the Semla, presently however, what little the giant glutton had in the field of survivor instinct, prevented her from doing so and instead was leaning over the rail at the front of the ship, tongue so far out of her mouth that it could have touched the deck, dripping huge droplets of bubbling spittle into the sea. Everyone around her had at this point taken a huge step away from her, some in disgust and confusion, but had done so for safety reasons. It felt like Mama was going to enter a food craving again!

"I WANT SOME!" both Luffy and Big Mom had spoken, tongues out of both captains' mouthes, clearly being taken by the almost seductive description of the pastry.

"They're not for you! They're for Linlin…. **If** we can come to an agreement?"

Smoothie looked desperately at her mother, at her present state Big Mom would have agreed to jump into the water for a taste of those cakes

"Mama….. we could just take those cakes from her, we don't have to agree to _anything_ "

"I could also just drop the sack into the sea, soaking all of my cakes as it dropped to the seafloor…." Gerth's counter proved the more effective argument as Big Mom turned to her daughter, eyes beginning to spiral at the thought of the pastries

"I could wring the water out of the cakes!" Smoothie reasoned

"But they'd still be all salt and soggy…. wouldn't they Linlin?" at this, Charlotte Linlin began to shake in a mixture of anticipation and dread, her eyes large and glassy at the very idea…..

"I'm listening…."

"But Mama…"

"Shuuuuuut iiiiiiitttt Smoothie! Anyone who'd come up with that threat would carry it out…" swallowing a gluttonous mouthful of saliva, the Yonko tried her best to compose herself, realizing, despite the overwhelming sense of Gluttony, that it was good business to be on your toes when striking a deal

"What do you want?"

* * *

(on the _Sunny_ )

Nami saw everything through the spyglass and she still had a hard time believing it,

 _They're bargaining! And for something in that huge sack the giantess is holding up_ ….

Given Big Moms reaction to the bartering, Nami could safely assume that it was something edible and not gold, _yet the mercenaries would no doubt try to put it on their tap regardless of that fact_! Shuddering at the thought Nami dearly wanted to yell at the fishmen on the flanks of the ship rushing them to go faster, yet could bring herself to do it as the Sun Pirates were already doing as best as they could, not daring to push themselves too hard, conserving their strength incase they needed to fight Big Mom directly.

The rest of the crew, although not it's total number, was prepared aswell, Chopper gearing up in his heavy point form, Brook having seacended from the crowsnest to stand by the others and the minks looking ready foor combat. Sanji was still looking at the back oof the giantess, eager foor her to turn around to gaze at the Sunny even as it neared their destination.

it was then that Baba appeared on deck again, all flushed and panting from pushing the Sunny all that way against the current.

"Is something wrong?" Nami looked at the merman in surprice, her worries making the words come out much harsher than she intended

"Yeah... Jinbe said to stop the charge... the giants got some kind of plan..." stopping his response only to take in deep breaths, the merman gave her a lopsided grin, despite the situation and the danger they very well could be moments away from, all depending on Big Mom's mood. It was strangely assuring, in a gallowshumour kind of way... Nami convinced told herself it was because the news came from jinbe. next to her, she could practically feel that Sanji thought something completely different as he looked jealously at the halfnaked Merman. aside from a small sigh, Nami ignored the chef.

"Did he say what the plan was?"

"Nope!" the happy smile persisted despite the unsure situation they were in, reminding Nami somewhat of Luffy, which was both reassuring and terrifying at the same time, as something unexpected was bound to happen soon.

she had to try and minimize that somewhat

"Where's Jinbe now!"

"He was swimming towards the Giants' ship with their captain in tow, big guy was pretty messed up" the smile had dissappeared a little, Nami concluded that it was due to picturing the sight in his mind. She could very well understand him, having seen the vicious beating firsthand through the spyglass.

it made her tremble to think about...

that or it was the unthinkably dangerously situation that they were in...

A thought entered Nami's mind as this point, an idea so dangerous that Luffy would have jumped to it in less than a heartbeat (And Sanji would have prevented her from in a fraction of that) yet so logical that he'd never thought of it himself.

Turning to Baba Nami couldn't believe what came out of her mouth next

"Baba, I need your help..."

* * *

(on the _Naglfar_ )

Gerth breathed a sigh of relief,

things were going exceptionally well, Linlin was listening... Somewhat... it was har to tell whether or not she was complying with the terms with all that drool coming out of her mouth, making her speech a mass of slurping noices and bubbles popping, all of which was, apparently, capable of making noices that sounded like random words.

"Semla, googies, gyandiiii, slelelemlaaaah, myumsies, chivvom gage, pyuddin, bragg tea, Seeemlaaaaaa!" it was the third time Linlin had said it after hearing of the cakes on the sack, which Gerth had dangled over the railing once for effect, something which had Made Linlin plead with her, promting her to show her a mulberryjam semla instead, which had made the Yonko drool even more.

 _In truth gerth had missed this part of Linlin, a sweettooth that could match her own... so sad that those days were over for the two of them, but if everything went like she wanted to in the next 2 minutes, they might return._

taking strenght from that possibility, Gerth straighthened her back and adressed her old friend directly

"So what do you say Linlin? we go free today, and you get the Semla... seems like a fair deal doesn't it?"

waiting for Linlin to register the words over the clamour of her own thoughts, Gerth noted that Linlin's children, the one called _Smoothie_ in particular, did not agree with her terms at all, shaking their heads and looking like they were already planning to doublecross them the moment their mother had her prize

"I'd like to add..." She began, getting the undivided attention of the flock of scheming Yonko progeny "... That if you destroyed us and just took the cakes, our entire country would hear about it, and I don't need to remind you how terrible a giants wrath can be, I mean, just _look_ at your ship..." pausing again, Gerth saw the thought sink in amongst the Big Mom Pirates, the colour draining from their faces faster than Linlin's drooling dripped down into the sea "and that waas just one, can you imagine, a whole _country_ going crazy trying to return the favour?"

that did the trick, as most stopped looking scheming and started looking defeated, resigning themselves to the fact that their mother would have her way and, perhaps surprisingly, not break her promise with the giants. A few looked different at the prospect though, Smoothie looked angry, and the woman in the red dress next to her had a tough time accepting the circumstances.

This was in stark contrast to the tall blackhaired guy that stood next to the two, pointing traight at her for some reason. It would have been bit creepy if she didn't have more pressing matters to attend to.

"Linlin...?" Gerth looked anxiously at her old playmate, hoping that the Yonko would obey her gluttonous instincts and comply, after a moment, where the only sound that could be heard, was the sound of the waaves and the sizzling as goblets of Yonko spittle dripped into it, finally, the yonko spoke

"DEAL, GIMME THE CAKES!"

* * *

(below the waves)

Jinbe was getting tired, all this hauling a halfdead giant around was taking it's toll on him, trying to make sure that no one interfered witht the negotiations above waas harder than it should be, specifically, tellling Praline to heel in was much too hard and taxing on his nerves, giving the order to a scout that the Sunny should lower it's speed had been the easy part.

nearing the surface with Hajrudin, Jinbe hoped that he could get the giant above the water so he could make it before the giant's lungs failed him...

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

Gerth smiled,

although she couldn't get a taste of her own creation (and neither did Strawhat despite his protests), it was nice to see her cooking skills be appreciated, though the speed that Linlin showeled them into her open maw prevented her from truly tasting each individual Semla.

But the deal had been brokered.

they were free to go.

turning to the small captain, the giantess loosened the cords she had bound him with, letting him fall to the bottom of the ship. Watching him land effortlessly made her a tad surprised, even with his wounds the rubberman was still quite nimble.

Seeing the smaller man look up at her, Gerth wasn't surprised to find that he was angry, and that she was the object of his ire. Not surprising since she just tied him up and made him watch as she undermined his authority by circumventing the command structure and negotiating a truce with Big Mom without his or Hajrudin's explicit command or consent...

Thinking about it, her actions of saving everyone's life might just have doomed her own, she was sure she was for the block or a court-martial. _Did the Strawhat Grand Fleet even do that?_

"You gave her _all_ the cakes!"

Gerth looked at the man her captain had pledged their allegiance to… and blinked.

"You're not mad at me for tying you up?"

"So what! You also caught when I was about to hit the water, we're square, but then you gave her all the cakes!"

Blinking at the, to her at least, diminutive captain, Gerth realized that she was in the safe, but then again Strawhat might become more angry with her soon…

"I can make more you know" she hurried to say, hoping to stall of any eventual repurcussions.

"Now we're talking!" Strawhat smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up, making Gerth conclude that the great powerful leader of the Strawhat grand fleet, the Strawhat captain himself, wasn't entirely sane...

Considering the situation that she was in, the illfated assault and how they'd pulled it off, the vast assortment of things floating in the sea, not to mention how she'd bribed Linlin to let them go, Gerth began to wonder if _not entirely sane,_ actually wasn't the best way to define her jobdescription at the moment.

Pushing the thought aside Gerth decided to focus on more pressing matters,

Like the state of the crew.

It had been awhile since the fishman had jumped into the sea in search of her comrades.

But just she had finished thinking about it, said fishman emerged from the sea with her captain in tow, battered and bruised and barely conscious it seemed.

Swimming towards the _Naglfar_ from the side opposing the _Mama Queen Chanter_ , the fishman took care to allow the giant, whose arm he had hoisted over his shoulder, could catch his breath.

Even with the prodigious amount of seawater Hajrudin coughed up, Gerth was relieved that the mercenary was still alive, though tenderized like a Seaking steak. Hopefully he wouldn't try to get back at Linlin immediately...

* * *

(on the _Sunny_ )

Chopper watched Sanji with a puzzled expression.

A mere moment ago he'd been utterly depressed by being told off by Nami, whom had used BIG words and not the nicest tone with the amorous chef, but now he was shaking all over from what he had seen in the spyglass.

The diminutive reindeer off course, was very familiar with that specific behaviour that Sanji was exhibiting. The hearts for eyes, the lapping tongue like that of a dog coupled with the wide lusty smile could only mean one thing….

Sanji had spotted a woman.

Assumingly it was the giantess that had been mentioned before,

and from the look of things, Sanji absolutely adored her, meaning that she was either scantily dressed or above average looking, or both, Chopper hadn't yet learnt to tell if there was a difference about his reaction, perhaps the amount of tongue that would pop ou of his mouth, how far his mouth would open or the increased beating of his heart…

Chopper shook his head, focussing on the matters at hand, since things seemed to be looking up for their situation, Chopper lamented that he hadn't stopped Nami from taking matters into her own terrified hands...

But then again, it was unlikely that she'd make things worse...

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

As the giants' captain was hoisted over the side of their ship Gerth couldn't help but smile.

Even though her had been battered, beaten and bested, the big lug still tried to stand on his own, forcing Gerth to shoulder his massive frame. Not a task that was in anyway beneath her (literally it was above her), but it did not entertain her thinking about how it would look like when she, who was dwarfed head and shoulders by her captain (not to mention that she only took up approximately a third of his full weight, armour included) was acting as a stick for the rookie pirate Hajrudin. The thought was making her cringe, not least because the minuscule Strawhat captain had, somehow, come to the same conclusion and was laughing like a madman because of it.

"Oi, Strawhad! Wha's de big idea?" Hajrudin said in a sloshed manner, his usual deep rusty voice sounding awfully like a drunks', courtesy of losing several teeth to Big Moms' beating "Wha's you labbing ad?"

"Shishishishishishishi! You look like an old man 'Rudin! Shishishishishi!" the rubber man laughing, clutching his sides "You sure got beat!" he continued, even as he himself bled profusely from several bandaged wounds. A hand on his shoulder made him stop his laughter, however, making him look in confusion at Jinbe, whose eyes were firmly set upon Gerth, with the fanged mouth set in its usual "V" line, but his eyes showing hints of anxiety.

"It worked, didn't it? Giantess-san…" he said with a calm matter of fact voice, even though his eyes kept shooting back and forth between her and Linlin, who was still stuffing her face with semla, and the rest of her brood at the stern of the _Mama Queen Chanter_ , amongst whom a tall (for a human) tattooed man, had seemed to go into some kind of shock, starring and pointing directly at Gerth with a shaky arm and a sweaty brow, all the while he seemed to say something along the lines of "That…. is uncalled for…..", earning him several odd looks from what appeared to be his siblings, of which a sister in a red dress was holding onto his arm trying to steady him.

"Yes" Gerth smiled "We're allowed to leave…"

Even as she saw the Fishman sigh in relief that they were in the clear, Gerht felt Hajrudin tense, his whole body shaking as he tried to stand

"You….. You cud a deal wid her didn'd you Gerd?" the words came out wheezing as he trembled with barely contained rage, and the struggle of trying to stand up "You should 'ave kebd on figding!" he raged with ragged breath at her through broken teeth and rapidly swelling lips. All Gerth could do was look at her feet as her captain chewed her out in front of friend and foe alike.

"Calm down 'Rudin! She did good…." The Strawhat captain spoke out in her defence "…even though she gave Big Mom all the cakes" he finished with a sulk and an envious stare at the gorging Yonko.

The larger captain relaxed a little at this, but remained furious, having a fleet-load of pent up frustrations that had been denied release against Big Mom, that wasn't going anywhere, yet all his injuries allowed him to do, was stare at her with absolute hatred, crystalized into a fury that would not remain contained forever…

"No need being like that Hajrudin-chan" Big Mom called out in between mouthfuls of rapidly disappearing semla, her face a mask of flaky dough, jam and gluttonous joy "No point in being selfish" she hollered with arms spread wide, a semla in each hand, before her attention was diverted: "Hey what's that doing there?" Big mom asked puzzled as she retrieved a semla that had fallen astray on top of the tall man's head "You trying to steal from me Katakuri?!" she growled even as she stuffed the two semla into her waiting, drooling mouth, not bothering with her sons' words "Ahh…. so that's why….", Or that he lowered his pointing hand, leaving his sister to give him, and each other, yet more puzzled looks of concern.

Instead the giant tub of a woman licked her fingers with a face that practically shone with delectable glee, a small drop of snot hanging from the tip of her nose, making the Yonko resemble a giant toddler more than a fearsome pirate queen.

The sight made Hajrudin even more furious, it didn't help when the Yonko spoke again

"By the way, why did you attack me? I mean the giants 'n' me don't get that well along in the first place but, outright attacking me…." The obese woman trailed off, which to Hajrudin proved to be close to the last straw as he drew himself up as much as he could, silently refusing to look weak in front of his enemies.

"As represendadive of the siksd dibision of the _Strawhad Grand Feed_ , it was my dudy to come to Strawhad's aid againsd any **enemy**!"

Big Mom stared a moment directly into the eyes of the giant before she spoke "The what?"

"The Strawhat grand fleet Linlin, the sixth division…" Gerth answered, hoping to avoid any further deterioration of the situation, instead her old playmate shushed her

"Oh I got that part, sounds ridiculous, it's the whole _dudy_ -part that confuses me a little"

"DUDYYYYY!" Hajrudin howled as much as his tired body allowed, which was prodigiously loud all the same, yet nonetheless it did not make any noteworthy difference to Big Mom "Don't use that kind of language with me! Don't be selfish with your words around me neither!" the obese woman almost yelled the last sentence at the giant (who, to his credit, stood his ground, despite the horrid stench that emerged from the depths of the yonko's mouth, courtesy of 68 years of dubious dental hygiene, which made it potent enough for even Jinbe to cringe and wave a hand in front of his face, despite the distance between his nose and the horrid odour's source), punctuating her statement with an angry gleam in the eyes and a fat icing-greased thumb pointing towards her chest.

"Hajrudin means to say _duty_ Linlin" Gerth interjected "Perhaps it's because of…."

"You gracked my _deef_!"

"What?"

"He says _you cracked his teeth,_ Linlin"

"Oh that…. I sure did haaaamamamamama!" Big Mom cackled as she reached back into the sack, which, to Big Moms' obvious disappointment, had gone empty "Awww…. Now I'm out of semla…."

Seeing their opportunity for making a hasty exit decrease by the second, both Gerth and Jinbe spoke in unison "Wel,l we were just about to leave anyhow…."

"By the way…." Big Mom piped in, freezing the assembled Pirates "Why'd you yell _Jorl_ when you attacked me?"

Her question made all the present giants freeze, as a mixture of boiling- and ice water began to run through their veins at the same time, wrath and fear intermingled, the cocktail of disaster. Even Luffy could feel the air changing as Hajrudin took in a deep sharp breath and Gerth stiffened as if she'd been struck.

Big Mom, on the other hand, was oblivious of the feelings she had just stirred in her _guests'_ hearts, having come to the conclusion, that there might still be some crumbs in the sack that was worth licking up with a wanton gusto. A theory she had promptly begun to test the merit of.

As so they stood, one side frozen on the spot, as Big Mom wolfed down whatever little flake and crumb and droplet of wayward icing and jam she could reach in the sack, only stopping when a particularly delicious morsel found its way onto her tongue, making her exclaim a loud "Yummy!" as it did.

"You killed him…"

The words had exited Hajrudin's mouth as almost less than a whisper, yet somehow everyone heard it, and it sent chills down their spines, even halting Big Mom midlick

"What…..?!" she began, not certain of what she had heard, looking at the trembling giant as tears streamed freely down his cheeks

"YOU KILLED HIM!" had Big Mom wanted to misunderstand what he had said, the roar left no uncertainty to be explored, the very sound making several of her own men shiver and making many more take a step backwards. The toll of exerting his voice so loudly in his weakened state left Hajrudin wheezing for breath, yet his eyes shone with the flames of a defiant hatred. Hatred for the Yonko straight in front of him. Even though his stare didn't fall upon them directly, some of her crew still felt burnt by its' smouldering intensity.

Big Mom looked at him puzzled, not believing what she had just heard, not wanting to

"Me, kill Lord Jorl! Are you daft boy! I'd have remembered if I'd killed him!"

Even though she spoke with utmost certainty and believed every word she said, her children did not, being all too well familiar with their Mama's eating disorder and its side effect after the chaos she'd cause. Amongst them, Galette leaned towards Katakuri, her voice low: "This was what you saw brother…" the words were more of a statement than a question, yet Katakuri's Kenbunshoku haki forced him to respond: "…..He should not say that…." As a drop of sweat ran from his paling forehead, down over his Glasgow-grin.

Down on the Naglfar, Gerth swallowed, _there is no way back now….._ she thought, feeling as powerless as a newborn in a storm, as the next moments would most likely spell death despite her best diplomatic efforts. It did not get better when Strawhat poked her in the side, his face looking like a giant question mark

"Who's Jorl?"

Looking down at his earnest face, Gerth supressed the urge to snap at him by biting her lower lip, forcing back tears at the memory of Yorl, of that day…..

"Jorl was a great hero….." voice trembling but with a strength that reached far, far enough for Big Mom and her brood to hear "…. He was the oldest warrior in the world….. captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates… And…." Gerth made a loud sniff, trying to reign in the snot and tears that was threatening to break forth "….and Linlin killed him….."

"I did not! I told you!" Big Mom interjected, her temper rising as the feeling of her words being ignored began to sneak into her candy fixated head

"I was there Linlin…" Gerth sobbed, unable to keep back the tears that were running down her cheeks, like small salty rivers "….We both were!" she gestured to a still seething Hajrudin before she continued "…..I saw you fling him over your shoulder! Like….. Like a toy! The fall killed him, everyone hated you afterwards! Why else do you think Lamb's House was moved all the way out here?!"

Charlotte Linlin stood stock still as Gerth's words cut through her frustrated thoughts of not being heard like a knife through spongecake.

It made sense, it made terrible sense! Despite all her doubts and lack of memory, Linlin couldn't deny the logic that was presented to her…. And it gave her pause to reflect…

"M-mother….." She began, her lips quivering (in fact her whole massive head was shaking with a mixture of heavy thought and denial) and eyes turning ever more unfocussed "Mother Carmel would've….. told you all to forgive me…."

The assembled giants were silent, their grief at the whole incident all too plain, the reminder of Mother Carmel's goodness and the favour she had done their race all too great and magnificent for mere words to express, even with all the time their prodigious lifespan allowed them.

Yet what had happened could not be changed.

"She did….." Gerth said, her voice quivering with sorrow and fear "…. And you still had to move, all of you!"

Charlotte Linlin blinked, the great Yonko known as Big Mom looked like she was going to sit down from the shocking revelation, yet she was Big Mom still.

"No, no, no, no, no, no…." Big Mom said, her voice muddled by doubt, fear and quivering rage that she could not manifest. Her hands were shaking and she looked around in confusion, locating her hat Homie Napoleon and placing it on her head with trembling fingers. All this happened while her children watched her in confusion, some being none too surprised that their Mama had killed a giant, others worried what came next, the more fearless (which were few indeed) were wondering what _Lamb's House_ was and where it had been.

"NO! You're lying!" Big Mom finale managed to stutter, making a final effort to distance herself from whatever had happened in the past, to deny the truth "It can't be true…. You're just, you're just… Stop being so selfish and tell me the truth!" she almost screamed at Gerth, who, to her credit, stood her ground.

"It's true Linlin, all of it!" the giantess managed through her heavy sobs, all thoughts of getting away gone with the wind as the memories chrashed through her mind like a storm.

On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ , Big Mom looked down upon her old playmate, her mind still refusing to believe what had been said. Part out of the self-image she had of being a good girl like Mother Carmel had said and part out of feeling something she rarely had felt ever since she'd killed Mr. Bear by spanking it: guilt.

Outing a hand to her temple to try and stabilise all the thoughts and unfamiliar emotions that was running rampant through her head, one thought came to her that shone like a sun, something she'd wanted for many years now.

"If…." She began, her voice turning ever more steady as the prospect of finally getting absolution gained momentum "… You know so much about the past…."

Gerth swallowed as Big Mom paused, bowing her head, bathing the yonko's immense face in shadows and making the woman look like something out of a horrorshow, before looking up, face as clear as a summerday, but the eyes shining with greed, force, need and a little pleading "Then tell me…. Where is Mother Carmel?"

Gerth stood stock still, not daring to move a muscle, she had not foreseen that Linlin would ask that, every giant knew how Mother Carmel had disappeared, but no one would ever tell Linlin that, for fear of what she'd do.

Gerth's silence did not go unnoticed. Big Mom's shoulders sagged, her eyes closed shut as if to hold back tears. When they opened they were red, hooded and tired.

"You don't know….. No one knows…." She said, her voice as gloomy as her posture and as certain as the grave for any who stood against her "I've looked everywhere for Mother…. Can't find her…." She scoffed, sniffed and wiped her nose with a massive arm. At that moment Gerth couldn't help but see her old playmate, snot nosed, naïve and deep down innocent and oh so alone.

W _as that what Mother Carmel had seen when she looked at Linlin?_ Gerth briefly wondered.

 **"Loug among'k ur deef, djmn!"**

At the sounds of Hajrudin's voice Gerth swung around, the dread on her face matching the venom of his slurred voice. Soon all eyes were on the stricken captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates, even Big Mom's….

"Huh? What did you say? Did anyone understand that?" Big Mom asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion looking left and right to see if anyone had been able to make sense of what they'd heard. Those that had, either considered it wise not to inform their captain/mama or were simply too shocked to express themselves.

Down on the _Naglfar_ , silence reigned, the rowers not mowing an inch, not even to help their captain as he started to cough blood on the deck, his injuries preventing him from continuing to reveal what had befallen Mother Carmel, all those long cold years in the past.

Close to the coughing giant, Luffy and Jinbe stared at the huge warrior with a mixture of worry and confusion painted on their faces.

Luffy in particular couldn't understand a word that had been said, Jinbe on the other hand, was beginning to grasp the meaning of the broken words, and was paling considerably at the implications.

"Hey Jinbe what's _djief_?"

Turning to his soon-to-be-captain, Jinbe was relieved to see that he hadn't caught on, at least so far, and it was best that Big Mom didn't either…

"He's obviously delusional Luffy!" Jinbe almost yelled as loud as he could, hoping the volume would hit Big Mom and convince her aswell "His words can't be trusted right now!" Stealing a glance at Big Mom it seemed that she wasn't completely convinced, but weren't asking any more questions either, next to him Luffy had put a finger in his ear, looking sideways at him

"Why're you yelling Jinbe? I'm right here!" he said rubbing his finger into his ear "I can't hear what 'Rudin says!"

AS Jinbe looked at the giant in question he saw that the giant was looking at him, defiance clear in his eyes and the way he gritted his broken teeth.

"Please Hajrudin-san, listen to reason!" Jinbe pleaded with the giant, even though he knew it was futile….

"YEUE!" Hajrudin roared, letting out a storm of spittle, teeth stumps and blood from his massive maw, as he attempted to point a trembling finger straight at Big Mom, which due to his injuries fell off to the side, (A direction Big Mom followed briefly before she concluded that Hajrudin wasn't talking to the tattered sail behind her) "AE'TAH!"

Stopping to catch his breath, Hajrudin's eye twitched as his yelling had gained all people presents full undivided attention.

That is except Katakuri who was muttering to himself "…..freaking idiot….." in a matter of fact tone.

"DJEM ALLL!" coughing heavily the giant sank to his knees, only Gerths' presence stopping him from hitting the deck as his mind almost surrendered to sweet, sweet oblivion.

Gerth's mouth trembled.

He had actually said it….. and Linlin had heard him!

Risking a glance up at the yonko, Gerth saw to her confusion that Linlin was scratching at the edge of her Bandanna, an eyebrow raised in confusion "did anybody get that?"

Gerth couldn't believe her luck, Linlin still didn't understand what Hajrudin had said, and given the look that she shared with Jinbe he was surprised at their luck too, they might just make it out by the skin of their teeth….

"KANNIB-BAAALLLLL!"

The last word that escaped Hajrudin's mouth had been broken, but the meaning had been all too clear, even to Big Mom whose jaw hit the railing of her flagship, splintering it with a loud crash, allowing her maw to be an enormous black chasm that could swallow anything.

All of her underlings and children's eyes were upon her, they knew and feared their mama's eating tantrum. But this was far different. No one was in doubt of what had been said anymore, even the densest member of the Big Mom Pirates had heard what had been screamed. Even Luffy understood and was looking at Big Mom with intensified loathing.

Big Mom evidently understood too.'

Her reaction proving it.

The Yonko's eyes became wild, erratic, unfocussed, darting left, right, up, down and bulging outwards and backwards even as they changed colour, all in tune to the wheels in her head spinning….. and accelerating dangerously.

An eye began to twitch, a bulge began to throb at the corner of her forehead, just visible beneath the bandanna.

And then her mouth began to tremble before shutting with a clap like a thunderbolt, her teeth clattering at the impact, and her eyes became red as veins began to pop alarmingly fast….

For a moment time stood still for everyone present...

Then Mama screamed.

It was not like it had been at the tea party, it had been loud and terrifying, but nothing like this.

It was bone chilling, even Jinbe shook at the sound of if, filled with pent up rage and frustrations from over sixty years of not having her way and being denied the secret behind Mother Carmels' disappearance. And when she was finally presented with a clue, it had been slander!

 **"TAKE THAT BACK!"** she roared, her every syllable making the sea shiver and ships creak, even the sky was affected, heavy thunderclouds gathering and dispersing at an alarming rate, making the very air around her charged, singing and cooling everyone in her vicinity

 **"TAKE IT BACK NOW!"**

* * *

(Beneath the waves)

Praline looked up as the clamour began,

Like a thunderclap going through a megaphone with an added dash of earthquake in the background.

She swiftly turned to her companion

"UP! Up! Up! **Up**! **UP! UP!**" she yelled at the fishman next to her, hoping the emergence of the big lug could stop whatever had just begun up there on the surface…..

* * *

(on the surface)

The sea began to churn and tall waves were beginning to drive the ships appart yet Big Mom starred down at the giant's vessel, her rage making her crush the railing between her fingers and her nails dug into the flesh of her palms, allowing blood to seep out and onto the deck, adding to her childrens' panic. Yet she didn't care. The moment of vulnerability cleared as fast as it had come, and her body trembled with energy to be unleashed upon the ones responsible.

The pirates in the other ship.

The giants looked at her with panic on their faces, Luffy and Jinbe with anticipation, expecting a fight to break out soon, and preparing to meet the threat head on.

Yet from the depths of the ocean, the cavalry emerged.

With a roar, a giant pink/orange body that dwarfed even the ones found on the Naglfar emerged from the deep between the two ships, waves as tall as hills erupting in its wake, driving the vessels further apart.

" **WA-DAT-TE-SUM-MIIIIIIII!** " it roared, humongous arms spread wide, proving easily able to hug and smother the front if the _Mama Queen Chanter_ in a vice-like grip.

* * *

(on the _Naglfar)_

Jinbe blinked, not believing his own eyes, then he snapped around "Get to the oars! Now!"

The rowers didn't hesitate, grasping an oar and pulling them as hard as they could, propelling the vessel away from the huge denizen of the sea.

"Hey, that's one of Hody's men!" Luffy howled next to him, "Not anymore, I recruited him for the Sun Pirates, he's on our side now" the fishman replied with a sly smile, his pride at that particular task evident in his every movement and gesture.

"I assume that he helped you hide your ship beneath the waves?" Jinbe asked, directed at Gerth

"Yes, he kept it down under water while we took refuge within his mouth" Seeing Luffy's eyes bulge in disbelief, Gerth hurried to explain "He can store a huge amount of air down there with him! More than enough for our needs!"

As Luffy's mouth began to hang open, Gerth despaired at the thought of simplifying it for the little captains convenience

"What's refuge?" the rubberman finally asked with a shrug, making Gerth blink in surprice

"It means hide Luffy, but that's not important right now" Jinbe cut in

"You're right! We need to beat Big Mom!"

"NO! we need to get away in a bloody hurry!" Jinbe screamed at Luffy, hoping the Strawhat captain would see reason and do the wisest thing, which was running away as fast as possible.

He could see that Luffy wasn't all that happy about the idea of fleeing, but he reluctantly agreed, settling for starring in the direction of Big Mom and Wadatsumi, arms crossed and fuming like an old stove.

Meanwhile Gerth had placed Hajrudin in front of her regular position at the rudder, throwing a heavy leather bag to make space for him, before she began steering the _Naglfar_ as it began to gather up speed.

It wasn't long before a loud roar made all turn towards Wadatsumi and a terrifying sight.

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Big Mom was furious!

Her target had been obscured by some large fishman, yet another person that had recently betrayed her, even the threat of the giant being posed to her ship infuriated her even more.

She would not be stopped by a giant piece of Sushi!

Not when she could still reach her target.

Meanwhile Wadatsumi had begun to push the Mama Queen Chanter backwards, the crew almost powerless to stop him without their artillery.

Putting one massive leg into the gap she had created in the smashed railing, Big Mom almost went down on one knee, then she jumped, splintering more of her ships' deck beneath her colossal weight, leaving her closest children awestruck and in a panic, not seeing anywhere she could land but the sea.

But land she did.

At the top of Wadatsumi's head, completely taking the fishman by surprise.

Quickly locating the _Naglfar_ and the direction it was heading, the Yonko took another step, then another, bringhing her closer to the back of Wadatsumi's gargantuan head. Having gathered enough speed, Big Mom bent both her knees and launched herself at the Naglfar at the speed of a fleshy Cannonball.

* * *

(On the _N_ _aglfar_ )

There were preciously little they could do as the giants, Luffy and Jinbe watched in shock, the approaching form of Big Mom flying through the sky like a fleshy piece of masonry flung from a trebuchet, aiming directly at the Naglfar.

The shock prevented Gerth from readjusting the course of the ship, allowing Big Mom to slam face first into the chest of one of the rowers sending him into the sea.

Then the Yonko turned, teeth gnashing, eyes like dying embers and a face that bespoke of al the sufferings of the sea that she had in store for whomever would stand in her way.

Locking her eyes on her next target, the wounded Hajrudin, the Yonko began to lumber forward…..

* * *

(on the _Sunny_ )

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sanji screamed as he watched the Yonko land on the Giants' ship through the spyglass.

"What happened Sanji?" Chopper yelled next to him, still not being allowed to see what went on, but everyone could have seen that Wadatsumi had exited the game almost as soon as he'd entered it.

"Big Mom just landed on the Giants' ship, she's furious!"

"Oh No, Luffy! And Jinbe!" Brook said with a shiver

"They can take care of themselves! Who's going to protect the _sexy giantess_?!" Sanji cried, his bandages coming undone as his features turned lecherous yet again, making Choppper fuzz over him like a henmother, "And Nami-Scwann is headed  straight for them!" the chef continued, before turning to the fishman on the ships' sides

"Speed it up! There's **women** in danger!" the only response being group of fish- and mermen looking at him with tired disbelief, Sanji put away the spyglass and began to haul himself over the railing, only to be tackled by Chopper and Brook.

"Let me go! I can save them!" he cried

"Your leg can't handle the pressure yet Sanji, you're still too wounded from the plateau!" Chopper cried back, trying to bind the chef's hands to the railing with more bandages

"I can swim with one leg!" the Chef screamed feebly as Pedro and Carrot added their weight to the pile, forcing the chef to postpone his swimming plans, although the fact that Carrot, in the entanglement of limbs, couldn't resist going Garchu on his ear, had a far greater effect on the amorous chef and former prince's decision than any bonds his crewmates could put on him.

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

The force behind her jump sent Wadatsumi head first into the _Mama Queen Chanter,_ threatening to capsize it.

Even as Wadatsumi withdrew, holding a hand on his bruised face, he did his duty and pushed the flagship further away, making it sway dangerously as he did so, before he went back beneath the waves to tend to his injury.

This left the various devil fruit users of the crew scrambling to secure a hold lest they fall into the sea. Smoothie was not one of those that had been fast enough and had been thrown overboard by the swaying ship.

As she plummeted towards the sea, she briefly wondered if this was it for her.

Fortunately, Katakuri had been one of those who'd secured a holding and he swiftly caught her, and any other whom had not been so swift, in a net of his mochi, allowing them to climb to safety.

Although that was a relative term, since the _Mama Queen Chanter_ had sustained heavy damages and was still swaying like crazy.

"Status?" Smoothie commanded, trying to take charge of the situation "Where's Mama?"

Not receiving an answer she turned to Katakuri "Brother…" she began, before he, true to form, interrupted her "Mama's fine it seems, can't say the same for her opponents though….."

"Is you kenbunshokuhaki really that astute?" Smoothie said in disbelief, before Katakuri turned towards her with a spyglass in his hand, which he threw to her in one swift motion, his behaviour somewhat back to normal, yet he was still a bit pale, a fact which rattled Smoothie to the core.

"Brother…."

"I'm fine. For the moment…." Katakuri interrupted, his glare unwavering, even as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead "…..The ship'll be ready to sail in a moment, hopefully we'll be about to catch up…"

"Catch up with what?"

"I don't know, but something BIG is about to happen!" and with that her elder brother turned around, watching the giants' ship in the distance, just as a loud crash echoed across the waves from it.

* * *

(In the Sea between the _Sunny_ and the _Naglfar)_

"they're in trouble! Can't you swim any faster?"

"I just help push a **ship**! It's natural to be a bit TIRED!"

"I thought merpeople were the fastest in the ocean!"

"That's just mermaids! Us merguys aren't all that…."

Nami conceded that Baba was right in that regard, yet it pained her all the same. Even though she was afraid of the monster battle she was heading for, she knew she had to help where she could, even if it meant venturing out on the seas herself with only a merman as transport and company.

But the large merman she had picked was so far proving insufficient, the tool of pushing the Sunny, alongside his comrades, taking its tool on his otherwise strong body.

For the time being, all she could do, was steel herself for the coming confrontation,

and hope that she was not too late.

* * *

(on the _Naglfar_ )

Big Mom's landing had forced one giant into the sea already, making the other one dive in after him, even as the obese Yonko waddled towards the ships' rear, malice in her every movement.

Jinbe was the first to charge at her, Hokushokuhaki ignited and fists clenched.

Fists which met Mama's in a clash of sparks which made the ship cringe from the force behind the blows.

Big Mom didn't budge, neither did Jinbe, but the ships' railing tore and snapped, leaving a gaping hole in the side, fortunately it's wasn't low enough to let in too much water.

Then the combatants parted

Jinbe jumping back and assuming a fishman Karate Stance, one open palm facing the coming Yonko, who appeared more similar to a tsunami of inrushing flesh than a person at this point, eyes like a bull and snorting like one as well, her entire being having been consumed by rage.

It provided such an exceleent target for anyone with the wits to use it. Even Luffy could see that, as his punch thundered into the Yonko's brow and nearly pushing off her giant hat. Big Mom herself however, didn't even register the blow, charging towards the stricken giant behind the Strawhat captain.

When the humongous woman was within reach, JInbe lunged out with a fist he'd drawn from behind him, sending it and whatever little water particle in the air around the ship, bolting towards Big Mom's form.

Scoring a clean hit, the yonko was pushed back, for the briefest of spells.

Less than a second later the Yonko was upon him again, a black fist clenched and ready, thundering towards him like a dark avalanche.

He could dodge it in time, only managing to get his head clear of the strike, so instead Big Mom's blow took his square in the chest, slamming him back into the almost still form of Hajrudin. Coughing, the former Shichibukai bent over, his whole body reeling from the punch. Even as he felt the iron taste of blood in his mouth, Jinbe watched with horror as Luffy charged at the Yonko, his gum-gum red Hawk attack connecting with her massive cheek without any effect.

Extending his leg high above the ships' mast, Luffy slammed it down between the eyes of the advancing Pirate queen. Even is he howled "AXE!" Luffy could see that not even this had made any visible impact on the woman.

Then he saw that it had.

He had gained her attention, like an adult looking at a fly they found particularly annoying.

Big Mom swatted luffy at the side of his head, sending it, and not the rest of him, slamming into the already broken railing.

Then the woman grasped his torso just as his head rebounded and connected with her temple, his forehead black with haki.

The Yonko shook her head as she tightened her grip around his upper body, jewel encrusted fingers digging into his rips. If he hadn't been made of rubber they would've snapped like kindling. He still screamed, clawing at her dark hand with his own, as he frantically kicked the woman's stomach. All to no avail.

Gerth's axe didn't have any effect either, crashing into the side of her old playmate's head and shattering as if made of glass. Big Mom effortlessly backhanded the helmswoman over the side of the ship, not far enough for her to not reach the ships' railing, but it excluded her from the combat for a time.

Big Mom's attention was diverted from Luffy for only the briefest of seconds, as her fist descended upon his face, pummelling it flat against his collarbone and shoulders. Again, Luffy's rubber physique saved him from sustaining fatal injuries, yet the pain and trauma was there all the same.

Jinbe had gathered his wits about him again, and stood, his entire body tense from pain and concentration, his eyes never leaving the Yonko that was throttling his friend before him. Yet he didn't see that, he saw the future. A future of her being swept overboard by the massive wave he was summoning from the sea.

Rising around the Naglfar like titanic serpents, the water gathered into a humongous point ready for use,

Jinbe roared _"YARINAMI!"_ and thrust his hand forward.

As the massive water bolt slammed into Big Mom, Jinbe saw to his relief that she had let go of Luffy.

Sprinting to his side, JInbe could see the smaller captain gasp for air, his breath ragged and uneven. But he was out of Big Mom's grasp, which was the most important part.

 _Not to get back_ came in as a very close second, a task more easily said than done as Big Mom had already recuperated and was charging at them again, her entire form dripping with seawater and the ship's deck creaking and breaking under her heavy steps.

Jinbe barely had time to jump back before she reached the pair, bringing Luffy and himself just out of her reach but close to the stern, and to the wheezing form of Hajrudin, whom had yet to move and join the fight, his previous duel with Big Mom and the trip through the water having left him too wounded and exhausted to provide any form of resistance, let alone stand or even crawl away. but it would have mattered anyway, there was no where to flee to for him. He'd never survive in the sea at the moment, and even Jinbe doubted he could carry both him, and all the other giants, to safety.

Their only hope was to get Big Mom off the _Naglfar..._

a task Jinbe realised was near impossible, unless he could muster up another Yarinami, but could Luffy help him get the time to prepare?

But with his captain wounded and exhausted, the former Shichibukai doubted his chances...

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

"Wow... that's just evil"

At the sound of her brothers' almost distanced voice, Smoothie turned to Katakuri, dismayed to see that the redhead wasn't back to his normal self yet, still pale, but seemed to be recuperating.

"What do you mean?"

"Mama's about to bring some serious pain"

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

Big Mom was charging at them,

every step she took seemed to cause both an earthquake and still the storm that was beeginning to brew overhead at the same time, as if the very air knew what would happen when she reached the pair of Strawhat pirates: utter mayhem!

thinking fast, Jinbe looked for somehting to distract the furious Yonko, his eyes settling on a giant sized harpoon.

Releasing one hand from Luffy's still gasping body, he reached and flung the harpoon in one swift motion, watching the polearm splinter and bend upon impacting with Big Mom's shoulder, not managing to slow her in the slightest.

He couldn't jump back out of fear of tripping over Hajrudin's prone form, so Jinbe ducked, pushing Luffy off to the other side, hoping against his better judgement that they could both evade Big Mom's clutches.

he wasn't mcuh wrong as the huge woman clawed at his coming captain, but missing, because her eyes were locked on him!

Feeling her big fingers dig into the muscles of his arm, made him cringe in pain and fear, the cocktail of defeat. JInbe quickly realised that hee couldn't get free of her vice like grip and evade her descending fist at the same time, so he took the initiative, striking at the side oof her body with a quick punch.

even though it connected, the fist didn't harm the Yonko in the least, only managing to throw her own punch slightly off course, not bringing the full might behind it to bear as it only grazed the side of Jinbe's face. The friction it caused was however enough to produce a burn on his cheek, making Jinbe cringe in yet another pain rush.

Wincing in pain as the scorching feeling erupted from his cheek, Jinbe twisted the arm Big Mom was holding onto, lifting his body from the ground even as the Yonko was drawing back her arm for another strike. Bending his knees, Jinbe launched a couple of kicks aimed at Big Mom's abdomen. All connected, but none managed to harm her. The vicious woman was not having the same problem, a truth Jinbe became painfully aware of as the rampaging witch's fist hammered down into his chest like a meteor. The only thing that stopped him from slamming through the deck and into the sea was the fact that Big Mom was still holding onto his arm with fingers like steel.

Coughing blood as pain travelled through his body like a lightning bolt across the sky, numbing his limbs and clouding his vision. Still he balled his fist and ground his teeth together, blocking out the reddish darkness that advanced at the edge of his vision. Still able to use the lower part of his trapped arm, Jinbe gripped the bejewelled hand that was holding his captive and aimed an iron hard fist at the wrist. Big Mom, instinctively realising what the fishman was doing, bent her arm, twisting the former Shichibukai's body and making Jinbe's fist slam harmlessly into the Yonko's lower arm.

A move that left the smaller fishman's back wide open…..

Fortunately for Jinbe, Luffy had gathered his wits about him, and his Haki imbued leg thundered into the Big Mom's exposed cheek, masking one of her eyes with some of the cheek that had been pushed out of place on impact. Otherwise the only effect it had on the raging woman was dividing her attention. Trembling with rage, the woman swung her free arm backwards, intent on elbowing the slim captain, possibly impaling him as well, if she got really lucky.

Luck favoured the Strawhat captain this time around however, as he narrowly evaded the mountain like joint, jumping over the arm and bending his knees, ready for a _Jet Stamp._ Which connected a moment later, much to his chagrin it wasn't inflicting any lasting damage, ricocheting on the upper lip of the Yonko, Ending up his opponents' nostril.

The surprise at having a foot (and lower leg, and a knee….. and a bit of thigh) forcefully ram up her nose, made Big Mom cringe however, her eye twitching at the incredulous act, narrowing as she turned her attention to the smaller captain.

Twitching her head didn't help either Luffy or Jinbe, as Luffy's leg was still caught in her nose, the move wrenched the Strawhat captain around and left him prone in the air, an easy target for Big Mom's next move, which was slamming Jinbe into Luffy like a five-year old girl would a ragdoll.

The impact left both of her opponents reeling and bloody, and as Luffy connected with the railing, making on of the shields break off and fall into the sea. Even as he tried to stand, more beaten than a piñata in a kindergarten, blood gushing from a wound in his head, Big Mom was advancing on him, swinging a struggling Jinbe over her head like an exceptionally vicious flail.

Coughing, Luffy swallowed a mouthful of blood, before he leaned forward, not intent on allowing the Yonko to treat his friend like some sick perversion of a child's toy (though the sight just made him angry, Luffy wasn't one to use words like "pervert" even when defining Sanji's relationship with women) he charged, even with wobbly legs the sight would have made many of Big Mom's underlings pause and marvel at his courage, or madness as they would call it, in the face of overwhelming adversity. Big Mom wasn't that philosophical and saw him for what he was: a particularly vexing fly.

And as a fly, it was evasive, but it would be smothered eventually.

As she slammed Jinbe down on top of him, hammering the Strawhat captain into the hard deck, she decided to torture him a little, pulling off the little fly's wings so to speak.

Seizing the Strawhat captain by the scruff of his almost shredded shirt, she lifted him up above her head, before she swung him back into the railing, turning two of the shields into splinters the fell into the sea in a rain of wood and ironshards.

It was gruesome to watch, even from afar.

* * *

(On the sea)

Nami held a hand up to cover her mouth, stifling a scream as she saw what Big Mom was doing to her friends. Behind her She could hear Baba gag at the sight. Although they were far away from the ship, neither could miss the spray of blood that erupted each time Big Mom slammed them together like a pair of flesh cymbals in an orchestra of battle, the meaty sound obscured by the crash of the waves, but each time the two pirates, the captain and the former Shichibukai, crashed into each other Nami couldn't help but imagine the sound of tackles made by huge men thundering into each other with bone crunching force.

She almost couldn't stomach to look at it, knowing full well that both of her friends had sustained heavy injuries against Big Mom on the top of the Chateau and to see them both getting thrashed like that was almost more than she could take, the knowledge that Luffy, considering Jinbe's larger bulk protecting him, was most likely getting the brunt of the impact and the damage, was enough to make her stomach turn most violently, even more so than the memory of his Random Curry.

Even as she clutched at the hat he had left in her care, Nami was amazed as it looked like Jinbe attempted a strike at Big Mom's face, only for the strike to harmlessly brush off of her massive brow.

Big Mom looked at him, and at a distance Nami could only guess that she was scowling at him. Then almost disgusting contempt, the Yonko flipped the fishman in the air and as he descended she slammed her fist into his abdomen, making him cough blood and sending him out to sea, where he skipped like a stone on the waters' surface a handful of times before he broke it, sinking into the deep, leaving a stain of red upon the waves.

Nami gasped at the sight, but just as fast as it had happened she turned her head to see Big Mom pound her fist into Luffy's chest making a small gush of blood sprout out of his mouth, hanging like a scarlet cloud in the air above both captains' heads.

Then she threw him to the other end of the ship like a discarded toy.

"BABA, We gotta help him!" she half screamed as she turned her head to face the merman that was her transport. The member of the Sun Pirate crew nodded, shivering as if the cold waters around them was arctic instead of temperate.

"Oh-okay" he stammered before he nearly yelled "dibs on taking Boss Jinbe!"

Before Nami knew what he was doing, the merman had released his grip on her and darted towards the place where the huge fishman had sunk beneath the waves, leaving Nami to tread water, fuming with suppressed rage and shivering with fear of being alone (and having to try and save Luffy alone).

"Damn, stupid, scaredy-cat-like…..!" she raged, knowing full well it wouldn't do her any good to be angry at the merman at the moment, not when Luffy was in mortal danger.

Almost swallowing a mouthful of seawater made Nami gag and move her legs more frantically, trying to stay on the surface, even with the current assaulting her from all sides.

Looking back at the giants' ship she could see Big Mom advance towards the place she had tossed Luffy, vicious intent clear in her every movement (or at least that's what Nami's fears made her see).

And still further away, Nami could see the huge vessel that was the Big Mom Pirates' flag ship advance yet again, the crew scurrying around the ship like frenzied ants.

Swallowing and biting her lowerlip, Nami cursed inwardly _Of all that stupid idiot of a first-rate haphazard Numbskull, Birdbrain, glutton, walking chaosmonger, insane thrill seeking bulllheaded buffoon has made me do over the years, this is **the worst**!_ Before she began to frantically swim towards the giants' ship, hoping that she'd make it in time to save Luffy's hide, again.

The great distance and the giant waves threatened to throw her off course however, not to mention another thing….

 _Damn it! Off course this whole battle had to attract sharks!_ Nami cursed as she saw the characteristic triangular fin come towards her through the rise and fall of the waves.

 _Well come on you oversized sardine! I can take you!_ She thought, even as she coughed up another mouthful of saltwater, readying herself to face the huge predator, whose hammer-shaped head was coming closer and closer…

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

Big Mom moved closer to the two beaten captains she had pummelled into submission. Neither would ever sail the seas when she was through with them, not even their names would be spoken by those closest to them, no toasts would be shared amongst their enemies over their demise. Not even the Marines would feel any joy from the news of their end…..

All would fear

All would get it!

Don't lie!

Don't be Snide!

DON'T BE SELFISH!

"I'm gonna rip you head off Hajrudin…. And then Strawhats!"

* * *

(on the _Sunny_ )

Sanji was howling as he gripped the spyglass so tightly his knuckles turned white and grey

"FASTER DAMN IT! THERE'S A SHARK AFTER NAMI-SCHWANN!"

Next to him, Chopper was getting frustrated from not being allowed to use the spyglass, to not see what was happening to his friends, all he had seen thus far was some commotion on the giants' ship and something huge being launched from it and into the waves to the ships' side.

On Snaji's other side Carrot was trying to wrest the looking glass away from the chef's grasp, which he uncharacteristically held onto, not being willing to let Nami out of his sight.

"Sanji, what about Luffy!"

"He was fighting Big Mom last I checked…." Sanji stammered "….Let's see….. Oh he's standing to fight Big Mom, he's okay then, gotta-check-on-Nami-scwann!"

Chopper had had it, changing into his Muscle Point form he almost ripped the spyglass from his comrades arms to see what was going on, an act that made both Sanji and Carrot jump him to get it back, accidently pushing the object out of his hands and into the waves below.

For the briefest of moments, the three of them stared as the spyglass disappeared beneath the surface.

Then silence overtook them, all agreeing on a subconscious level that they would gain nothing from squabbling over whose fault it was the spyglass was lost, not under the current circumstances, leaving the trio to look in the direction of their friends, desperately longing to know what was going on.

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

Big Mom continued to advance with slow, rage wracking steps. She moved as certain as a glacier towards them, unstoppable like the turn of seasons or the tide of a thousand seas, she advanced….

Hajrudin was lying on his stomach in a pool of water and blood, his body only moving the barest of feet with the rise and fall of his shoulders as he drew in breath. His eyes were open now however, starring at Big Mom with the rage of an entire people bubbling within his bloodshot gaze, unflinching, but shaking like frenzied piranhas' catching wind of their next meal, but being completely unable to do anything about it.

Close to him, Srawhat had gotten back on his feet. On another day Mama would have found it entertaining that anyone dared to stand against her like he did, but now she was too furious for any compliments to enter her mind.

All she could think about was dealing, the final! _**Killing**_ **Blows**!

"You called me a cannibal before Hajrudin!... I'd never do THAT! NEVER!" she gasped, her mind overflowing with sixty years of frustrations over the disappearance of Mother Carmel and the inability to locate her fostermother "But I'D _DO IT TO **YOUUUUU**_!"

Big Mom roared, furiously and charged at the giant, and even though she was the smaller of the two she was easily the more ferocious of the pair. Fingers like shimmering golden claws, teeth big and glistening in the waning light, and eyes like a frantic little girls.

Who'd dare to stand against her?

Luffy didn't see any of that however, all he saw was one of his friends in danger from someone he hated.

He charged at her, swinging whatever he could at the charging Yonko, shards of harpoons, pieces of broken shield everything, even the leatherbag that contained his Random curry.

All of it connected, the leatherbag landing in between the vast maw of Big Mom. It did nothing to her, except draw her ire.

Grinding her teeth together she howled something which the leather bag muffled, making it completely incoherent, a split second before she hammered her haki imbued fist into Luffy's body sending him flying through the waves like an air-to-water missile or torpedo.

Being rid of the pesky fly from before she turned her attention abck to the giant who wasn't looking at her anymore, instead looking horrified in the direction she had sent Strawhat, his hatred of her forgotten and replaced with fear for his commander.

She would make him fear her more!

Biting down hard making her gums hurt from the pressure, Big mom took the last step towards the stricken giant and stopped…..

She was feeling funny…..

And something exceptionally weird was going on in her stomach…..

Then a sound began to emanate across the waves, like a giant foghorn mixed with a dozen bagpipes playing in unison…

and it was coming from behind her….

* * *

(On the Mama Queen Chanter)

The odd creepy sound had reached them a moment ago, and Smoothie looked confused down upon the Giants' ship, not certain what to do now that they had finally come within range of it. Mama had just stopped after she'd punched Strawhats' lights out.

A thought occurred to her

"Did, did she just….." she began, to no one in particular, not certain she'd receive and answer, as everyone around her seemed as confused as her

"…..It sounded like Mama on the bathroom after getting some bad candy….." Galette said after a moment of confused silence "what the hell just happened?"

Not being able to answer her younger sibling, Smoothie looked worriedly as their mother began to tremble and shake down there on the giants's ship.

"Wha….?"

"GET MOBS AND WATER!" Katakuri howled at the top of his lungs, the paleness he'd suffered from mere minutes ago having come back with a vengeance.

Even without understanding what for the rest of the crew obeyed without question.

* * *

(On the _Naglfar)_

Big Mom had begun to shake furiously now, the feeling of a nuclear warhead going off in her mouth followed by the mouthfeel of fishbones and jelly being too much for the womans' stomach to handle. If Big Mom had ever possessed anything in the realm of integrity and cause and effect she'd reason that her years of candy consumption had left her taste buds somewhat feeble in the face of advanced chemical and culinary assault from some unholy combination of hell and a cosmic crunch.

The final straw was the feeling of uncooked rice and the unexpected undertones of sweet jam mixed into it

She barfed!

And not just in a regular way like a person being seasick.

It was projectile vomit!

With a strong enough recoil to throw Big mom backwards, and to the vast surprise of both her children and underlings, all the way over to the _Mama Queen Chanter_ where she landed in a pile of Katakuri's newly made mochi.

Large globs of purple barf landed on the deck of her flagship dissolving into the ship, leading beforementioned underlings to finally understand what the mops and water was for and swifty went to work, cleaning up the vile mess that had been made, even as their terrified eyes never left their leaders wailing form.

Down on the Naglfar Gerd had finally managed to pull herself back up and run to Hajrudin's side, being careful not to step close to any sizzling lobs of Yonko saliva and "goo"-leftovers.

"Hajrudin! Are you okay!" she asked frantically, looking him over to see if Big mom had harmed him further "Strawhaaad…." Was all the answer she got in return…

* * *

(out on the waves)

Praline was getting tired of this:

First she had almost had her eye popped out by a panicky navigator, whom she had in fact come to help, figuring that she couldn't swim to the _Naglfar_ all on her own,

Then having to carry said navigator towards the ship like some aquatic pack mule

And then having to listen to the Navigator as she chewed out the man that Jinbe intended to give his iife for at some point or another, moments after they almost been hit by him at sea….

Holding the navigator around the midriff Praline was within perfect range of hearing all of the expletives that the young pirate could spew forth, mainly surrounding words and phrases like _idiot! reckless! Never do that again! You almost got yourself killed!_ And other such pleasantries.

"Oi!" she yelled, loudly enough for the navigator to shup her trap and turn her head to look at her, although Praline was still forced to lift the strawhat from her head in order to give the smaller woman her scolding, not paying much heed to the way she was pressing her captains face to her chest , keeping it over the water surface "you can scold him all you want the day you're married to him, then I don't have to listen to it!" Seeing the blush that crept over the navigators' cheeks Praline concluded that it apparently wasn't like that between the two humans she was carrying.

Seeing the state of the smaller captain however, made her decide it was for the better that they get out of the water as soon as possible.

Setting her sights on the approaching ship, the mermaid dragged the two pirates behind her as she swum towards with with her back first, assuming that it would be less stressful for the battered man in the navigators arms.

She had to give probs to the little captain though, not many had the spine to stand up too Mama,

and even fewer had the luck to survive!

* * *

(On the _Sunny_ )

Chopper had been puzzled when he saw the fast apporaching form of a mermaid in the water, coming stright towards them.

As he spotted the telltale flash of long orange hair and a strawhat, followed by the manes' owner and his beloved captain and friend, he'd outright cried in relief.

a sentiment shared by the rest of his comrades:

Carrot was jumping up and down like a, well, a happy bunny, Pedro had droppped his cigarette in amazement of the survival of the two, Brook was holding a pairof bony hands to the side of his skull, howling with joy...

and Sanji...

was having a conflict of crying from relief and being deadly jealous of Luffy's current position, his barely conscious head reste against Nami's collarbone, but his attention was also diverted by the appearance of a: " _MERMAID"_

Praline looked at the white dressed guy with the bandages around his face and cocked a rather annoyed eyebrow, not holding any doubts as to the thoughts of the man, his eye glued to her cleavage with something bordering obssesion "I'm married, toiletpaper-face!"

The man looked crestfallen for a moment only to bounce back and focus on the Navigator in Praline's arms

"Nami-schwaaaaaaan You're OKAYYYYY! And Luffy too!"

"Sanji, stop gawking and help us here!"

"Sanji? That's the guy Pudding was 'sposed to marry?" Praline asked, pointing a critical thumb in Sanji's direction, receiving a short nod in response the mermaid mumbled to herself "Mama could've chosen better"

Even as a rope ladder was lowered down to the water, Carrot could be heard exclaiming "Where'd the other Mermaid go?"

"Carrot-chan that was a merman, where did Papa go Nami-schwaaaaan?"

"Baba went to save Jinbe, hopefully both're okay" Nami responded even as she reluctantly left Luffy in Praline's care before trying the rope ladder around his waist and gripping it herself, allowing the others to pull her up.

"Thank you for the lift Praline-san" she smiled at the much larger woman as she ascended to the deck, the other woman merely responded with a fanged grin before she dove back into the deep.

Only to emerge a moment later with a loud splash, jumping out of the water and landing on the deck with a loud thud, beating Nami and Luffy on the finish line.

This whole situation left Carrot swooning over the statuesque denizen of the sea and a moment later, after being rejected by Nami, Sanji as well, followed soon after by Brook (wanting to know if he could see the mermaids non-existing panties).

Chopper had his "clove hands" full with treating Luffy's extensive injuries with Nami looking worried at her captains condition alongside Pedro. The wee reindeer was so busy that he didn't even have time to complain that his _doctor's orders_ weren't followed.

It got far worse When Baba emerged at the ships side with a wounded Jinbe draped over his shoulder. Pummelled but alive the fishman was likewise hoisted aboard and turned over to Chopper's (now trembling) care.

"….So what do we do now?" Nami said to no one in particular, uncertain of what they should do…

"GoddabeaiadBe'um!"

Turning to Luffy Nami was surorised to see that he was actually conscious…. And giving orders

"Wha…." She began before another sound came out, gurgling as if the speaker was drowning

"Yuearddacabn… sdeadji gourse!"

Nami was shocked to see that Jinbe was also still conscious, and somehow able to understand what had been said, not to mention raise a hand and point in the direction of Big Mom and her crew, which in turn turned her shock to mortification. Her feelings were nothing compared to Chopper's reaction though, as he hurried to fuss over the huge fishman with a mixture of dread and despair painted on his face, telling the former shichibukai to lie still at all costs.

Nami stood for a moment petrified at the prospects of going back towards the thing that had so soundly defeated both Luffy and Jinbe, yet the choice of fleeing was not there as she felt the ship move forward, in the direction of the Big Mom pirates.

"Why are we moving?" she yelled, drawing everyones attention as she did so. Eventually Baba raised his hand and spoke

"Boss Jinbe pointed, so I thought the others should know about it"

As the Sunny glided towards the other ships, she knew it couldn't be helped, even if the hostile ship was heavily damaged, the Sunny couldn't turn and outrun it without becoming victim to Big Mom's throwing arm, and neither Luffy, nor Nami herself would ever forgive her for turning her back to some who had helped them (even if they were going to demand payment later on…..)

And so with a trembling lip, the navigator watched the ship come ever closer….

* * *

(On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

It was almost mesmerizing in all of its horrifying aspects

Big Mom lying in the other end of the ship, barely conscious and mumbling unintelligible gibberish with acidic drool and vomit hanging from her lips, eyes almost closed and unfocussed.

It was also terrifying, the unstoppable Charlotte Linlin brought down by some little insignificant troublemaker….

Speaking of which, the Strawhat crews' ship was approaching, the lion/daffodil figurehead looking straight ahead. Smoothie knew it wasn't possible, at least not without Mama's help, but it didn't even seem to care about them, looking straight through the _Mama Queen Chanter_. Never before had something so cartoony looked so haunting.

Smoothie Swallowed and looked at her brother. Like everyone else, he was rattled, but as always Katakuri managed better than most of the Big Mom Pirates. He looked focussed and Smoothie tried her best to emulate her elder brother, although she couldn't mimic the faint blush that was creeping up his cheeks.

"Brother?"

Turning to her Katakuri's gaze was even, but his voice held the slightest bit of trembling "They're too wounded to fight….. but so are we" the last part was said with more than a hint of anger, bordering on full outrage, or as much as Katakuri's normally calm demeanour would allow.

"Which means they've come to negotiate a ceasefire"

The term wasn't explicitly used by the big Mom Pirates, given Mama's policy of take-what-you-want and the general ruthlessness of the New World. Negotiations wasn't something new as they did it all the time with brokering marriages or setting up terms for candy taxes, but ceasefires was something they rarely would agree to.

But now was a very rare time indeed.

* * *

(On the _Naglfar_ )

Gerth looked at Hajrudin trying to stand up yet again, inwardly facepalming when she saw him stumble and try anew.

Nothing had happened since Linlin had been thrown backwards from eating the goo, or rather the _Random Curry,_ and the silence was beginning to get on the helmswoman's nerves.

Seeing the approaching Strawhat vessel Gerth briefly wondered if the diminutive captain and his pudgy fishman comrade was safe, a question wwhich wasa answered aa moment later when she saw the fishman stand in the front of the ship, bandages covering his injuries and with something small, exceptionally small, with an antlered hat, jumping up and down around him, apparently screaming something at the larger pirate and waving its arms frantically.

Cccccccccccccccccccccc

(on the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

Smoothie looked at her brother, worry etched into the very fabric of her features.

Katakuris face had gone lobster red, and was steaming a little… it would have entertained Smoothie if it hadn't been for the precarious situation they were in already.

"Sister…" Smoothie blinked at her elder sibling, hoping that he would snap out of it, and soon "….You handle the negotiations…. I'm gonna be out for a while…."

"Brother don't you dare…." Smoothie didn't have time to say any more before Katakuri spoke again, his voice filled with empathy of all things "Poor Vinsmoke…"

Then he fell to the side, almost smothering Galette who was standing next to him, leaving either of his sisters confused at what he'd seen of the future this time around.

* * *

(On the _Sunny_ )

Sanji was heartbroken

First Nami had supported Luffy almost like a lover would,

Then the hot Mermaid had said she was married,

The Nami had rejected his advances again, fuzzing over Luffy, Jinbe and **that** merman,

And now, even though she had come up on the ship, the mermaid wouldn't allow him anywhere close and had even taken to cover her prodigious cleavage with Brooks' afro (Brook was slightly disappointed that his face turned outwards).

It was almost too much to bear for his poor wounded body.

Then a feeling hit him, a tingle up his spine as if he was about to read a scary story, like a fashion designer only using male models for an underwear commercial or him (the manliest of men) returning to Newkamaland, and replace Ivankov as its queen. But this was a good feeling, and he could sense a scent of honey on the wind, like beehives in the summer, just opened to take out the golden liquid.

There was a woman nearby!

Sprinting (or wobbling, since his leg was still hurt and it would take days for the swelling to go down) to the front of the ship, just behind the figurehead, he looked around.

They Sunny was close to the Giants' ship, so close that one of the ships crewmembers could almost have reached out a hand and bridged the gap.

Ignoring Choppers' frantic screaming at him, Sanji became mesmerized by the giantess he'd seen at a distance earlier.

His tongue left his mouth immediately ass his eyes turned to hearts and he panted heavily at the sight of the statuesque female.

It only warmed his heart when she turned her azure gaze in his direction, and smiled, her face lightening up like the first rays of the sun on the sea.

Then she opened her mouth and he was practically lost to the sound of her voice

"OI! Fishman-san, are you well?"

"This is nothing" the rotund fishman replied, waving an arm dismissively, while next to him, chopper had begun to bite into his hat out of sheer frustration.

"And What of Strawhat-sama? He took quite the beating…"

"Luffy's…." Jinbe began, giving a sideways glance at Chopper before he continued "… going to be just fine, we have an excellent doctor on board"

While Chopper was swooning over the compliment and doing his usual little happy pose, Sanji gathered his courage to talk to the Giantess

"Pardon mademoiselle, but I don't think I caught the name?" he inquired, trying to keep his amorous tendencies shackled, just in case he frightened her with his advances.

"Oh, I'm Gerth sir, pleased to meet you" she responded sheepishly before bowing

Sanji was shaking with barely contained glee at the politeness he was being shown, all he could think of was how cute he though the giant looked, so much different from Dorry and Broggy. Not to mention whe she bowed he could look down her ample cleavage. The sight of the whole package was driving him to do a pirouette and hugging himself tightly.

Down on the giants' ship his behaviour was not going unnoticed. Gerth was however used to such from humans she met, there was a reason she travelled beneath a heavy helm and fur after all.

"I like short guys…." She began, unintentionally allowing Sanji time to drool like a waterfall and accelerate his heartbeat to a whopping 250 beats a minute "…. But not that short…." She finished sheepishly, hoping the man didn't take her rejection too harshly.

"I can get taller!" Sanji cried in despair, not willing to let his lucid fantasies of himself and Gerth dissipate like smoke in the wind any time soon

"… And I like redheads…"

"I can colour it!"

"…. With a high bounty"

"I can raise it!"

* * *

(menawhile, on the _Mama Queen Chanter_ )

It wasn't hard to hear the exchange, which allowed an already very stressed, afraid and bone weary Smoothie to hear everything….

She pinched her nose in frustration over the entire situation, Mama's eating frenzy was one thing, it was practically a weekly occurrence in Tottoland, then the collapse of the chateau, the evacuation of the city's population, the blasted chase they'd had after the traitors, the sea battle , giant's attacking from the sea, Katakuri being lovestruck, then a bargaining of asstries for free passage, Mama becoming more infuriated than ever before, then a giant fishman had joined the fray and to top it all off Mama had been _defeated_ somehow, it had been too long a day for her.'

It had to end!

"LISTEN UP! I'M ONLY GOING TO ASK THIS ONCE!"

Seing that her yelling had the desired effect, Smoothie took a deep breath before she continued

"WHAT….. DID YOU DO…. TO MAMA?" She said, her voice almost

For a brief moment, no one said a thing, then Hajrudin grunted something, leaving Gerth pale and somewhat nauseous.

"Apparently…. Strawhat-sama fed Linlin some of his…..Curry"

Smoothie heard it, so did Chopper, Jinbe and pretty much everyone else on the three ships

and all were silently puzzled

On the _Sunny_ Chopper was making gagging noises while holding a _hand_ over his mouth clearly remembering Luffy's attempt at cooking, Jinbe stood flabbergasted not understanding what was going on and Sanji didn't need long time to figure out that Luffy had been the one in charge of cooking while he had been away, which led to another even more horrifying thought:

"WHAT DID HE DO TO MY KITCHEN?!" he screamed while cupping his bandaged head in his hands

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Smoothie howled like a raging mob at a a politacl rally, not taking any more craziness from anyone. Pinching her nose between two huge fingers, she tried to calm herself _A yonko brought low by eating curry…_ was all that was running through her mind, following that was the entire days' events from the tea party and up until that very moment. Fortunately for her, her sanity and everybody nearby, friend, foe and family, no one had dared to speak out, leaving her to clear her mind and try and formulate some kind of emergency plan.

"first, Giantess Gerth, Gerd, Gerda, WHATEVER…" taking a deep breath to steady herself and wipe back a stray lock of white hair from her face, where a vein had begun to tremble on the edge of her forehead and an eye twitching erratically, Smoothie continued "If you have a recipe for those pastries, hand it over, now!" seeing the woman nod her confused consent, Smoothie continued "Second…. After the first is done….. everyone, you" she said pointing at the giants "And you" pointing at the Sunpirates in the water "and especially YOU!" directed at the Sunny and the Strawhat pirates "Leaves NOW! And no one…." She took a deep breath "…will get hurt." The last part was said with a notorious amount of eye twitching and furiously trembling hands.

No one needed to be told twice as everyone hurried to get the ships out of Big Mom's territory.

On the _Mama Queen Chanter_ no one dared blame Smoothie for her call, most of the pirates being more than happy to get rid of the interlopers and get the heck back to Whole Cake Island.

* * *

(a few hours later out at sea)

Nami took yet another deep breath as she looked at the bandaged body of the Giants' captain, this mercenary Hajrudin, steeling herself the inevitable haggling.

Chopper had done an excellent job at seeing to his wounds and the giant warrior had recovered at an exceptional rate. Hopefully Nami'd be able to use that to the crews, or rather her, advantage. A bed had been brought up from the cabins, allowing for the giant and Luffy to talk over the railings of the ships. What bits she heard of the conversation were about people Nami didn't know personally, like Ideo, Bartolomeo, Suleiman or Don Sai (and something about a wedding of somesort…?)

As she approached she gingerly took of Luffy's hat and looked down upon his bandaged form as it lay on the bed, she couldn't remember last time he'd been this hurt, not even Crocodile had come close to this level. She then calmly placed the hat back on its usual spot, managing to silence both captains.

"I'm sorry for interrupting Hajrudin-san but who told you to come help us?"

"hmm, no one, why?" the giant responded with a voice like thunder, his expression puzzled at the unexpected question

Nami smiled at him, happy that things were going her way

"So glad to hear that, which leads me to the next point, _payment!_ "

"Huh? Uh yeah sure, getting to see that demon fly like that is well worth a few beli eh? digagagagaga!" the giant laughed loudly, smiling ass he procured a heavy purse from his waist and up ended it infront of a baffled Nami, who was equally part surprised at the amount of gold the Giant carried around and by him voluntaroily giving it to her.

Meanwhile the giant continued

"Didn't know we had to pay a fee to the big boss, but I can't let word get around that the Giant Warrior Pirates doesn't live up to a bargain" smiling beneath the oversized golden helm, Hajrudin failed to realise that Nami was starring at him dumbstruck.

"We don't need your money 'Rudin, you really saved us back there" Luffy piped in beneath his heavy bandages, not having noticed Nami's bevilderment either, but before Hajrudin could withdraw his valuables, Nami cut in:

"BOSS? BARGAIN? What're you two talking about?"

both looked at her for a moment before Hajrudin broke the silence

"You haven't told her Strawhat? I know you didn't like the idea but still..." the brute looked down upon the smaller captain, seemingly more than a tad offended for some reason

"Told me what?" Nami said, looking at the rubberman in the bed and almost wishing he wasn't in the bandages so she could slap him around.

"'Rudin and the others went and made this vow-thingy..." Luffy began before Hajrudin interrupted him

"We formed the Strawhat Grand Fleet!" beaming at Nami, the Giant began to explain

"We're 7 divisions, some 6000 men and we're at your service!"

"Whaaaaa...!?" was Nami's only response to the news, not really understanding a thing of what was going on.

 _Grand fleet, 6000 men, service_?!

"We formed after Dressrosa, Strawhat didn't really like the idea but that's okay, we're free to do what we want only tied by our vow of allegiance, It's the best thing ever!"

Nami was looking dumbstruck at the giant as he pocketed his gold and went on talking to Luffy about someone or another. _Did he just say Cabbage?_

Nami shook her head violently before she looked furisouly at Luffy and with a trembling voice that could be mistaken for cracking concrete spoke:

"You mean to tell me... that we could've invaded Tottoland with an army instead of almost getting ourselves killed?!"

On the bed Luffy looked afraid of her from the moment she had spoken out, trying to wiggle away from the immense pain his Navigator would subject him too if given the chance, even with his injuries he doubted that ferocious woman would hold back.

Nami was indeed tremblinng with rage and the timely arrival of Chopper, to get Luffy back in his cabin, was the only thing that prevented her from mauling him.

Instead she had to take a deep breath (one of exceptionally many) trying to calm her nerves and put aside her frustrations for the time being. there would be plenty of opportunity to punish her crewmates (She hadn't forgiven Sanji for leaving them behind, not to mention the attack on Luffy and bad mouthing the crew) later on.

having done so, Nami realised she couldn't be anything but Happy, her friends had all escaped that deathtrap of a kingdom and had even gained some allies along the way.

All things considered,

Life was pretty good right now

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter, stay tuned for the Epilogue, which will set up the sequel of this little tale

hopefully it won't take more than a week or three to finish, I've kept writing small pieces when I wasn't preoccupied with work or wrote the main story, so it shouldn't take long.

A thing I am happy about though is that I finally got around to use Luffy's Random Curry During _this,_ the climactic fifth chapter of this whole story, not to mention the Introduction of the rest of the strawhat pirates to the grand fleet idea. Since I can't recall Luffy (or anybody else for that matter) saying, "by the way we have an army now!" I figured that none of the crews members that arrived on _Zou_ first would know about it yet, thus leaving a wonderful opportunity for some fun reveals. though of course the crew would've been informed about it off screen by one of their other nakama.

The whole minor plotpoint of Katakuri getting all emotional and lovey-dovey was mostly for laughs and to conveniently incapacitate, his ability to to see the future was bloody hard to incorporate in the story from the get go, not to mention his combat prowess, that guy's on a whole other level than any opponent so far.

I didn't kill off Pedro because I really didn't intend to use too many of the plot points from the Whole Cake Island Arc (though some will come in handy later), not to mention I was so dissapointed that The Sun Pirates didn't use Wadatsumi to save the Sunny from that Tsunami Himie Big Mom made, although the way they resolvedd that one was brilliant, not to mention so in character for Jinbe, but I have to wrap this up:

see you in the Epilogue chapter


	6. Epilogue

Out of the jaws of death – Epilogue

I know this chapter is waaaaay overdue, see the bottom of the chapter for an apology

* * *

(Aboard the Sunny)

Nami couldn't believe it.

Even as she gazed on the distant shores of Tottoland she had a hard time to grasp just how they'd managed to get out of Big mom's territory alive and …. Partially unscathed.

Luffy and Jinbe were heavily wounded and despite their protests, Chopper had, after entering his monsterpoint, forced them both to lie down and get the rest they needed.

Of course both had resisted until Nami had stepped in and put terms on both, each time Luffy would move out of his bed she'd charge him 10 million Beli and when Jinbe did it, she'd charge Luffy double, meaning that the captain would spend most of his time commanding Jinbe to stay in bed, to which Jinbe had little choice but to obey.

The scream Chopper had made when he discovered that both his patients had concluded that they could move their beds around the ship and still be in them, thereby nullifying Nami's threat, was as heartbreaking as it was hilarious.

In truth Nami would have been very worried if Luffy had not tried to do something to get around her terms.

It left little room for Chopper to find any rest however, as another of his patient, the titanic Hajrudin, had laughed so hard over the reindeer's lament that he had popped several of his stitches and was now coughing up more blood. Much to his crews worry.

What worried Nami more was when Bege sent one of his men over to the Sunny to invite Luffy, and herself, for a little chat, something he wanted to discuss with them. Naturally most of the crew followed.

* * *

(on a ship in the harbour of Tottoland)

Stussy looked around her cabin.

Spacious as it was she could never quite manage to get all of the things she needed for her cover as "Queen of the pleasure district" to seem plausible. Although she reminded herself, as she sifted through some of her discarded garments from before she had chosen her wardrobe, that the tittle wasn't all lies.

She did control the pleasure district, and pretty much every courtesan, minstrel and " _p_ _leasure expert"_ in the new world, payed her some manner of tribute, a tribute that ultimately came back into the coffers of the CP0, more or less at least. One didn't come by a tittle such as hers without being a bit underhanded and greedy.

Stussy smiled as she found what she was looking for, a little Den Den Mushi, connecting her straight to her higher ups.

Although she was still in Big Mom's territory, given that all that had happened, it was necessary to run the risk of being caught making her report. She was confident her _girls_ would make sure to warn her if some of Big mom's brood came for her. She was specifically thinking of Charlotte Pudding, a girl with an interesting lineage.

Hearing the telltale sound of the little snail making contact, Stussy prepared herself.

"Bianca dear, are you there, I'm not calling at a bad time, am I?" She began in a subtle melodious tone

"Report, don't kid around" the voice was cold, a mixture of cold metal, like a bar being struck in a forge, and unglazed ceramics that scraped against each other. It was impossible to discern the gender of the agent, naming the other one Bianca gave Stussy a small level of entertainment at least, also made it easier to discuss information she'd gotten from her _girls_.

"I'm still in TottoLand….."

"Why do you already make your report, is your cover blown?"

"No, things have happened that need to be reported ASAP…" Stussy took a deep breath before she continued, allowing her superior to inquire, something this one didn't do, or prepare for what was to come "Big Mom planned to assassinate the Germa Kingdom's royal family, it failed, someone tried to assassinate Big Mom and almost succeeded" Stussy paused a moment before catching her breath "Charlotte Linlin is still alive but wounded and Wholecake plateau and her family's castle is in ruins"

For the briefest of moments there was silence in the other end of the line

"Who were the would-be assassins?"

"It was a joint coalition, The Strawhat pirates led by Strawhat Luffy joined forces with the Firetank Pirates under Gang Bege, both members of the _worst generation,_ they joined forces with the Former Shichibukai Jinbe _Knight of the sea_ and the Germa Kingdom to get away"

"WHAT! Our Intel certified that both the Firetanks and Jinbe were part of Big Mom's forces"

"They're traitors now"

"They're still alive!" the voice, despite its metallic core, had the edge of something that was about to snap

"The whole coalition managed to get away, I do not know how yet, apparently the Sun Pirates abandoned Big Mom as well and there was also a fourth pirate crew involved, but the details are sketchy at this point"

"…. Big Mom's crew has lost a lot of its strength…."

"Indeed, but none of her children are dead and they expect her to make a full recovery"

"What happened to her?"

"I have no idea, all that is certain is that two members of the worst generation has severely angered a yonko, I have my doubts they will last long on their own"

"Indeed" despite everything, Stussy was certain that the voice sounded satisfied

"I will report more soon, there is something I'd like to check up on, a future asset that might come in handy in the future"

"Very well, proceed agent"

Stussy waited for the snail to become silent before she carelessly flipped it back into the pile of dresses and skirts she'd found it in.

Looking over the cabin, if she was to receive a guest anytime soon, it would be prudent to clean it up a little bit. Appearances and all that.

Picking up a small silver bell from a table, she rang it twice, summoning her butler to get to work…. and to fetch her a glass of wine, making reports had always been thirsty work for her.

* * *

(In Sweet City)

Big Mom lay on her bed, or what was left of it, occasionally burping in her troubled sleep (brought on by a combination of an exceptionally high dosage of painkillers and sleeping pills), causing a purple coloured bubble to spring forth from her mouth, float up into the air and pop on the wall, eroding away at the candied confectionary plaster that made up the building.

Nearby Smoothie was looking over her prone mother, still having a hard time accepting all that had happened in the last few hours, let alone fathoming it.

All the traitors had gotten away, the Firetank- and Sun Pirate crews were both leaving Tottoland for good, and with minimum damages from Big Mom's rage.

The wedding that would have been a golden opportunity for the Big Mom pirates, had turned into an outright disaster that had left them vulnerable, exposed, and somewhat short on manpower. Loosing Jinbe and the Sun pirates had been bad enough, Bege had been a competent subordinate and a trusted son-in-law. Then there was the fact that Opera had lied about killing Strawhat and the navigator, but unlike the others, his punishment would come soon.

What had truly terrified Smoothie however, was what Big Mom had been prepared to do to Pez. Smoothie knew Mama hated Chiffon because of her resemblance to Lola, but to try and kill one of her own grandchildren was far too extreme for Smoothie's taste. It made her dread the eventuality of herself having any children one day (if Mama would ever allow her to wed that is).

Shaking her head, Smoothie turned to the rooms other occupant, Katakuri.

He was still partially catatonic and flushed. Just sitting in chair, hands in his lap looking at the wall and nothing in particular at the same time.

At least that was good news in a way. She'd honestly never thought that her brother would fall for a woman. But that she was one of Strawhat's allies complicated the situation quite a bit. And the implications of the Giant Warrior Pirates being but one of the Strawhat crew's allies was truly breathtaking. Who else did they have in their employ in this _Strawhat Grand Fleet_?

If the strength of Hajrudin was anything to go by, they would have some truly powerful members in their ranks. Strong enough perhaps, that Big Mom would be better served with having them as allies rather than enemies.

But that was a thought for another day, though she doubted Mama would ever consider it when she woke up, the deafeat they'd suffered today was far too great for her to brush off.

* * *

(on the Nostra Castello (which I Previously had named the Rook))

Nami was delighted to be onboard the Rook, even though a little voice in the back of her head reminded her of Bege's doublecrossing nature, but then again, with both Bege, Jinbe and Luffy bedridden, not to mention the presence of Aladine of the sun Pirates (and definetly not to mention his large and very imposing, if not outright intimidating, wife), Hajrudin (whom of course was too big to enter the cabin so the only option for him was to eavesdrop through an open window) and a very strict Chiffon, taking turns fussing over him and their child, precious little Pez, it was unlikely that Gang would try anything.

Meanwhile Chopper was pleased to see that at least one of his patients seemed to heed the doctor's orders, but Bege also had another doctor, and (more importantly) his wife Chiffon to echo the diminutive reindeer's every syllable (multiple times) much to his chagrin.

Besides experiencing the sight of the large ornate bed, tall posts in dark wood at every corner, pearl white drapes hanging down from the ceiling, complementing the equally ornate room, that most of all looked like it was the cabin of a small noble, contrasting with its occupant, the fearsome pirate captain Gang Bege, a member of the worst generation, lying on his stomach, mostly naked but for a simple blanket covering his legs and the small of his bulky back, his butt being heavily bandaged, making it look twice its actual size and his trademark fedora and cigar at their regular places, was almost worth the danger of an impromptu ambush.

After they managed to get the two other sickbeds into the room and positioned across from him, the host looked up, his eyes not fully open and bloodshot, his cigar trembling in his mouth and a discomforting sneer on his stubbled upper lip.

Nami didn't know whether the look on his face was from pain or because he didn't like the company. Standing between Luffy and Jinbe's sickbeds she could see every moment the man would make.

The man pursed his mouth, almost as if he was chewing on the words before he spoke them.

"We failed….." He began, his tone even yet strained, not from pain (at least physical, it seemed somehow that his brain was trying to solve a puzzle while he was talking to his guests) "… But we've survived… thanks to….. _all-of-us-really_ " the last bit was spoken very fast, small beads of sweat appearing on his forehead as he stole a quick glance at his wife, as if he was trying to stall for some reason.

Swallowing hard Bege looked straight at Luffy "We were all at great danger in front of Big Mom…. None so more than My own wife and son….. and had it not been for you Strawhat…. I'd be a widower….. and a childless father…" Bege swallowed hard, sniffing his nose as if he was about to cry at the thought, one that was mimicked by several others amongst his crew. Bege still trying to prevent his face from contorting into a mask of snot and tears, his lower lip trembling as he resumed, turning his sights to Nami "And you as well Cat burglar" Bege's voice was almost cracking with barely restrained emotion "If it hadn't been for either of you we'd all be mush"

Bege's words were making Nami a blush, forcing her to shift her focus to a practically beaming Chiffon, her grateful smile seemingly illuminating the room, Nami, while not able to reach the same level of gratitude, smiled back.

"But we failed…" Bege began again, his voice strained, but it had been cleared of any emotion, the dread and gratitude from before had been replaced by a fatalistic certainty that felt like ice being dropped down Nami's back, bringing her back to reality from the pink lands of embarrassment.

"….. Big Mom will come for us… so it seems prudent… to continue our alliance, for the time being" Receiving a displeased glare from Chiffon made Bege add a swift " _perhaps-indefinitely-even_!"

From the corner of her eye Nami could see Aladine give his (half)brother-in-law a look of mixed pity and understanding. Praline was rubbing a finger over a freckled cheek, almost as if she was taking notes for later.

Luffy just looked at Bege as if nothing the other captain had said had registered.

"In order for us to cement our alliance… I have a proposal for you Strawhat, and Cat Burglar…"

* * *

(on the open sea)

Caesar cursed

He was alone, had just a little dinghy and some food abandoned by either Firetank or Strawhat crew, not in Big Mom's grasp and he had his heart!

And yet he cursed, cursed over the fact that he now had no job, no lab and was hunted by both a Yonko and the World Government.

The only thing that was looking up was that he saw the queen of the pleasure district amongst the tea party guests, and that meant that the woman had a ship, full of women, beautiful women who'd entertain him until he'd get back on his feet.

Or until he could contact Kaido and get a proper job again.

The king of beasts was the only benefactor he had left and he would be very interested in getting him back on producing SMILE.

Or some other drug he'd invent on the way…..

* * *

(On Wholecake Island)

Smoothie looked out over the assembled Big Mom Pirates, while tired and shaken from the recent events, the crew (her siblings in particular) could have looked worse for wear as they sat around a huge table, large enough to fit them all.

Considering that Katakuri was still all flustered, and Mama was in bed with what could best be described as an extremely bad belly, it fell to her, the second Sweet Commander, to take charge of things (even if Compote and Persopero had a different view, being older siblings and all).

Scanning the assembly for any further dissent, Smoothie cleared her throat and began:

"You all know the situation, and I'll be frank and say that today was a big Loss for the Big Mom pirates" several heads looked down at this proclamation, but it wasn't news to anyone, yet being told so directly to their faces made quite a few of them scowl at her. Locking eyes with Daifuku who looked particularly furious, she held his gaze for a moment, daring him to interrupt her. The prospect of fighting her elder sibling wasn't one she relished, but for the merest moment she craved the relief of venting her frustrations on something. But, it didn't do to be at each other's throats at the moment, so she was happy to see Daifuku look down in submission.

"Despite our best efforts today, our crew has been weakened, both the Wholecake plateau and chateau has been demolished, we lost two powerful subordinate crews and to top it all off, all of our enemies got away….." pursing her lips in an effort to avoid screaming at the injustice of it all, Smoothie took a deep breath allowing her comrades to take it all in. They knew of course, but sometimes it was necessary with a recap to get everyone up to speed. Plus it allowed for them to revaluate the whole thing. Something that was crucial for them to decide what to do next, for which Smoothie had a good idea, at least from her point of view.

"It seems obvious to me, that we cannot afford to stay idle in a time like this!" her voice was even, commanding and sincere, few questioned what she said and most nodded their consent, some already reaching for a weapon

"WE'LL HUNT 'EM DOWN!" one shouted at the back of the room, a roar that quickly picked up amongst some of the more brutish members of the crew, like the quintublets (though she could tell that some, like Mont'd'Or, doubted Opera's sincerity) or Brulee and Diesel, both of whom bore a more personal grudge against the Strawhats and Firetanks.

"SILENCE!" She yelled, trying to drown out the call for vengeance that was erupting amongst the crew like weed in a garden. All though she knew they could hear her, few heeded it, it was only when Cracker sent some of his his giant bisquit soldiers to crack heads that order was somewhat restored.

"We will get vengeance, but not now! not without Mama!" Seeing that there was still discontent with the proclamation, Smoothie decided it was best to add why: "She'll want to rip Strawhat in two personally! She's looking forward to it even in her sleep at this very moment, do you want to deprive her of that joy after today?" Smoothie bore no illusions as to what her comrades would feel for that reasoning, they'd steer clear of the Strawhats for fear of Mama's reaction if she would feel cheated of her vengeance. After seing what mama was willing to do to a traitor, seeing her fully intent on stomping on Pez, gave them all the reason to be warier of Mama than ever before.

"BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD TO DO NOTHING D'ACCORD PAS!" Smoothie turned to Tamago even before he finished, a retort fresh and prepared on her lips

"And we won't Tamago, but we'll wait…. This defeat affects us more than it should! We can't afford to look weak in front of the other Yonko's crews!" Hearing this made most members nervous, and fortunately preventing them from objecting too much about what she was about to say "The Blackbeard Pirates have already proven they'll take on everything so we have to build up our strength as soon as possible! Kaidou have recently added some new crews to his forces and it seems he's on the warpath, to top it all off, we don't know if Redhair will try anything" Pausing so she could catch her breath, Smoothie took another moment to scan over the crew, they were dead silent, fully understanding the gravity of the situation "We've already established that we're no friends of the _worst generation_ , and others might try to test our strength, we need to move first to keep the initiative" with that she turned to Tamago "You are to establish contact with Buggy the clown, buy his mercenaries for the defence of Tottoland"

"What? You don't think we're enough Smoothie!" Daifuku growled as he stood up from his seat, one hand firmly placed on the table the other contorted into an angry fist that he waved at her.

Smoothie didn't break her pace merely because her elder brother was being truculent

"We need them here, because several of you are going to be out on the seas, tracking down the Strawhats and the Firetanks and any other allies they might have!" her tone had been even, though there were an edge to her voice that would have stopped a rampaging Sea king, and fortunately for the crew, Daifuku was smarter than that kind of beast, though only marginally, so he backed down.

"We need new blood too, anyone that hasn't affiliated with the other Yonko is to be prefered! If they're enemies of the Strawhats or Firetanks then all the better"

"Do you have anyone particular in mind Sister?"

Smotthie took a brief moment to answer Gallette, one which all spent thinking up various groups that might come in handy, in the end she gave up since she didn't really have any ideas about whom would be the best choices

"Anyone have any good ideas?" the crew almost exploded in suggestions ranging from the ridiculous to the impossible. After almost a minute of trying to silence them, she finally lost her patience and drew her sword, cleaving the table from the end to its middle, wooden chips and splinters flying everywhere only marginally slower than her comrades leaping away from it.

Her sword still unsheathed, Smoothie rested the tip of it on the ground, ready to use it again if need be, and repeated her question, making sure everyone knew she was in no mood for further interruptions or chaos

Pekoms was the first to dare speaking

"The Foxy Pirates have a lot of members and can be quickly discarded if we don't need them anymore"

"That's an idea, if you wan't fodder, we need more than just numbers Pekoms, some quality figthers…"

The next who put up their hand was Pudding, albeit somewhat shakily

"How about another former Shichibukai, Moriah or Crocodile?"

Smoothie nodded her consent

"Not a bad idea, if we knew where to find them, both have been off the radar since Marineford"

"The Yonta Maria fleet could prove a valuable ally and if we can't find Crocodile, then some of his old underlings could prove useful" Compote had been the one to speak, her multible chins wiggling with each syllable as she reached a hand into her fruity hat, trying to find a snack while they debated.

After that, the suggestions came in a steady flow, the crewmembers caught up in the rush of the feeling of having something to say for a change.

After about five more minutes of discussions Smoothie had compiled a lengthy list of candidates for underlings, though they'd have to await Mama's approval before being incorporated into the major crew as subordinates.

Not wanting to disturb the bedridden woman, Smoothie instead set people to work

"Gallette and Amande, you two go to _Runny Rum Archipelago_ , snoop around for a bit. Tamago: _Buggy's delivery service_ try and drive a hard bargain, and no pillaging unless we say so. Pekoms, Daifuku, you two establish contact with the _Yonta Maria Grand Fleet_ , their numbers will come in handy. Bobbin, you take these _Foxy Pirates_. Bavarois, you go to Fishman Island, get those flying pirates and their captain under Mama's command ASAP. The rest of you will to remain here in Tottoland for the time being, helping with the rebuilding effort. All clear? Dismissed"

To Smoothie it had made no sense to send them after individual targets they didn't know where was, sending out a few would distract the rest and give the impression that the Big Mom pirates was all very much active and unshaken. All in all, it would be a win.

Seeing them all leave the room swiftly, Smoothie breathed a sigh of relief, her siblings actually following her orders instead of disregarding them. Looking up she could see that one of her sisters, Galette had remained behind, sitting in her seat at the destroyed table, anxiously twiddling her thumbs.

"So…" she began, her voice close to cracking "... _Runny Rum Archipelago_? The most seedy travelhub within a month of sailing"

"Yes, the most busy and most secure travelhub, the most likely place for anyone to turn up, rumours and intel are bound to flourish there, someone is bound to have heard of Moriah and Crocidile there if not about this _Grand Fleet_ "

"It's only secure because of the large marine base there, but the place is still a nest of dirt and scum, hell, the only things it's known for is that pirate museum…."

"Not to mention the warm sandy beaches, alteration between summer and spring islands, the rum quality and the number of strong pirate captains and their crews that show up to pay homage to that particular museum" Smoothie put a comforting hand on her younger siblings shoulder (although the size required her to only place her fingertips on it, the rest of the hand covering the younger woman's back), rubbing it slightly to make her relax.

Scoffing at her effort, Galette pursed her lips in false indignation "You make it sound like a holiday" trying to remain serious, but ending up cracking a grin and chuckling. Though She joined in, Smoothie knew that Galette understood the implications of her mission and why it was her and Amande that were going. Neither were married and it would add a level of enticement to the prospect of joining Big Mom's crew, at least for the male captains, but since they pretty much outnumbered their female colleagues 20-1, that wouldn't really be an issue.

Letting go of the redheads shoulder, Smoothie gave her a push towards the door before following her out into the hall where their paths separated. Smoothie had no doubt in her mind that Galette was already trying out new swimsuits in her head as she hurried to gather what she and Amande needed for their mission. In the Back of her head Smoothie hoped Galette could find a good husband, she deserved it, especially after her previous one turned out to be such a... _disappointment_.

There still was one thing that She had to do. Something that she couldn't let her siblings in on directly.

Leaving the building, Smoothie hurried after her quarry, her long legs allowing her to catch up to the smaller woman almost instantaneously.

"Are you going to see Mama by any chance Pudding?"

"Huh? Oh yes dear sister, I've been worried about her ever since you all came back from the sea, the Queen Mama Chanter was so damaged that I couldn't believe any of you were still alive" the three eyed girl responded with a smile, one which Smoothie would have thought sincere if she hadn't known how Pudding truly was deep down.

"Good, I'll walk you there then, if you don't mind?"

"Off course not" the insincere smile was there, but Pudding's eyes were darting to the side like she wanted to run and never look back.

 _Good_

* * *

(on the Nostra Castello)

"…. So I have a proposition for you Strawhat and Cat Burglar"

"Didn't you just say that?" Luffy looked at Bege in confusion, prompting Nami to slap him over the head in frustration. Even though he was right, it was rude to interrupt someone speaking, especially when they were his guests.

"Yes….I did….. didn't I….." taking a deep breath Bege steeled himself for what he was about to say, which to nami looked like it was almost painful, making her dread the prospect of the request

"Me… and Chiffon, my wife, who I love very much, butarestillmakingmedothis, pleasedon'tmakemedothis Chiffon!" his pleaded with his wife who stood by his side with a stern and slightly vexed look on her face.

" **Dear,** we talked about this! They saved me, and little Pez, when they didn't need to!" Nami almost objected before the larger woman continued "This is the right thing to do. **Say it!** "

Poor Bege visible shrunk under the firm gaze of his spouse, not daring to go against her wishes any further.

"We, my wife and me… would like to ask you…. Strawhat…. Luffy…. And Cat burgler….. Nami… to… (koff!)" Bege looked like something had caught in his throat, making him cough, his eyes turn watery and give his skin a faint green tint. Although his wife and ships doctor (and Chopper) fussed over him, it soon became apparent that there wasn't anything physically wrong with the man, and with the soon to be infuriated gaze of his wife upon him, Bege hurried up

 _"WdlaikutobPzgobarndssss!_ " the words were spat out like a cannon giving off a barrage of scattershot, partially bombarding the people in the room with words, the smell of Bege's cigars and miniscule droplets of saliva flying at the speed of sound. When he had said it Bege gasped for air, whatever energy he had, had been exhausted trying to make what(-ever it was) he said, come out of his mouth. He looked partially relieved for being over it and partially despondent for forcing the words past his lips.

Next to him, Chiffon was looking at her husband with of love and exasperation.

"Huh?" Luffy said, not having caught on to anything that had been said, looking at Bege with utter confusion painted on his face, a look which Nami seconded without noticing.

Puffing over the behaviour of her husband, Chiffon rocked Pez gently in her arms before explaining

"What Bege meant to sa, with all the danger with Mama and you both saving me and little pez here" taking a moment to fuzz over her son, the pinkhaired woman beamed at Nami and Luffy

"and since you've got a fleet of followers and all, with more coming in…." Chiffon looked meaningfully at Aladine and Jinbe, trying to reaffirm that it indeed was the case. Seeing that both Sun Pirates nodded in unison, answering the unspoken question, Chiffon continued

"We thought you'd be perfect for the job!"

"Job? What job?" Luffy and Nami said in unison, along with several other people in the bedroom

"We'd like you to be little Pez's **Godparents**!"

Everyone within earshot was stupefied for a moment, then the room erupted in a unified "HUUUUUUUUUUUH?!"

A clamour which woke up the baby

Even with the little boy screaming in her arms, Chiffon beamed happily at the Strawhat captain and navigator.

"I hope you'll accept, it's a bit of a responsibility!"

Nami didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the prospect of being a godparent. She'd never thought she'd have that kind of relationship with anyone, nor the responsibility for a small child if something happened to the parents.

Nearby Sanji was beaming like a madman, giving a little chant of Kawaii Nami-swann with a baby, his eyes watery at the thought. Brook were happily singing a little lullaby for the child trying to stem the clamour the little boy could make, Praline was leaning an arm over her husbands' shoulder with a broad, fanged smile on her face, beaming at the whole scene. Jinbe was chuckling at it, while Chopper looked mortified, listing all the ailments a child could come across on the seas.

And Luffy, Luffy was silent, still stupefied at the whole ordeal, his expression blank, but tending towards disbelief and confusion.

Nami laughed as she blinked back tears of joy, her whole face dominated by a sparkling, blushing smile that she felt could rival the one she'd wear if (or when!) she found a titanic pirate treasure and could keep all the gold for herself.

Wiping a tear of her cheek with the back of her slender hand, Nami looked at Chiffon, still blinking back the tears and trying to speak without her voice cracking under all the emotion that was still assaulting her

"Chiffon! I'd love to…."

"NO WAY!" Luffy's voice rang out like a sudden thunderclap, silencing the entire room.

Nami shut her mouth with a clap as she turned to stare bewildered at him alongside the rest of the room, and soon the only sound that could be heard was a hysteric _Digagagagagagagagagagaga!_ From the outside.

* * *

(Aboard Stussy's ship)

A short knock on the door made Stussy turn towards it. The hours that had passed since She had made her report had been used diligently, cleaning up the mess that had been left as she tried on clothes for the Tea Party. She had enjoyed watching her old butler Beliworth sweat over the task as she sipped her wine, awaiting to see if her guest showed up.

"Enter"

The door swung open without a sound on well-oiled hinges, revealing one of her assistants, the petite Morgiana, olive skinned, dark curls sprawling like willow leaves from her head and deep dark eyes complemented a courtesans' figure perfectly. Hiring her had been one of Stussy's better choices.

"Madame, a guest" said in a voice so melodic it was almost painful to be deprived of it, Stussy lamented the fact the girl didn't speak much, yet she brushed it aside when she saw whom had arrived.

Chalotte Pudding,

 _the bride_

"Thank you, Morgiana" she briefly addressed her aide before turning her attention fully towards the young girl, or woman, depending on whether you just saw the female body, or, as Stussy did, saw the gentle sway of the posture, the light tremble of the hand, and the way Puddings' legs shifted uneasily beneath the dress even when she stood still. Or the way the eye in her forehead sparkled, far outshining the other two. A mesmerizing sight really, the way one deep brown eye reflected the light of the room, although it appeared that it emitted it, like an antique silklamp Stussy had been given years ago, while the other two seemed to suck the light in like a pair of dark wells.

"Welcome Lady Pudding, what a surprise" Stussy smiled, doing her best to sound surprised "do you want something to drink now you're here, Beliworth can fetch anything with a moments notice…." Stussy knew without looking at the elderly man, that he was silently hoping that it was not the case, that he wouldn't have to do anything and could go rest his old legs instead of running errands, again.

"I wouldn't mind some black tea if you'd be so kind" finishing her humble request with a smile, the old butler completely forgot to be disappointed and, even though he looked sideways at her third eye, hurried to comply.

After Beliworht had returned with the tea, Stussy joined the trembling girl on the couch that dominated the middle of the cabin.

"My apologies for asking, but how is your mother? How is Linlin?" Pudding averted her eyes as she looked longingly into her halfempty teacup, caught in some memory or another, biting her lower lip in anxiety.

"Mama is not well, everything that has happened is taking it's toll on her…" taking sip of her tea, Stusssy kept her silence as she watched Pudding steel her resolve and tell the rest of the tale…..

* * *

(on the Nostra Castello)

It took Nami a moment to register what Luffy had said, and another to recognize the deep _Digagagagaga_ -sound from outside as the laughter of the Giants' Captain Hajrudin. He sounded like he was almost out of breath but laughed on anyway.

But that really wasn't important.

Nami looked furiously at Luffy for turning the touching offer down. One part of her wanted to slap him and another slap him really hard, yet the first one was faintly aware that Chopper had stressed that Luffy should take it easy in order to heal, and that little distant feeling had, for the time being, won out.

Nami prepared to yell at him instead

"Luffy…. What the hell are you…?" she howled almost directly into his ear, making him cringe in surprice, but not enough to shut him up

"I don't want to!" he bellowed back, sticking his lowerlip out and getting a serious look in his eyes.

On the larger bed, Bege was puffing on his cigar like a small factory, his teeth close to biting through it. The look on his face could have rivalled big moms' when Luffy had taken her wedding cake.

"Why you little!? My son's not good enough is that it?" he growled as he feebly tried to reach beneath his pillow to grasp something, only for Chiffon to snatch the pistol from his trembling fingers. In sharp contrast to her husband, Chiffon looked more concerned than insulted over the rejection.

Nami shared that sentiment. Though it was pretty obvious that Bege hadn't been warm to the idea of possibly letting Luffy raise his son, being slapped in the face with a less than polite declination definetly didn't go well with the former mobster.

Turning to her captain; Nami was torn between yelling at him, or stammer excuses at Chiffon and Bege. when faced with two choices she did what most would do and took option C: combine everything and hope for the best.

"Luffy, Apologize, right NOW!"

Turning to her, Nami could see that the lughead wasn't about to back down.

"For what? I just don't wanna be a goddad" he said with naked honesty.

Nami couldn't do much else than look at her captain like a giant question mark. and she hadn't the time to ask him why, before Sanji piped in:

"If Luffy doesn't want to, then I'm happy to be a godparent with Nami-schwaaan!"

Nami turned around woth a snap and gave the chef a harsh glare right into his bandaged face, beoofre she spoke with a tone that could've stopped Big Mom on her way to an all-you-can-eat-cupcake buffet.

"NOT. Another. Word. From You."

Seeing Sanji shrink back behind the rest of the crew, both in fear and in dissapointment, Nami turned back to Luffy and tried desparately to quell her anger at both lugheads. calming her voice, Nami spoke, being careful not to wake up Pez again, even If Luffy wasn't up for it, atleast one of them was a godparent now.

"Why don't you wan't to be a godfather?" her voice was close to cracking from stress, and her mind waas split between pinching the bridge of her nose, and slapping Luffy silly. Either one would prove as therapeutic as a hot bath right now.

Or hearing what her bird-brain captain had to say.

"I ain't a god! And I don't wanne be some bigshot godfather either!" Nami's fist trembled just as the rest of the room facepalmed at the Strawhat captains ludacris stupidity, even though outside the loud _digagagagaga_ resumed anew.

"Luffy, A godfather isn't a god, or a bigshot, You wil just take care of Pez if something were to happen to Bege and Chiffon!" Nami said, her eyes twitching and her self close to just lasshing out at Luffy.

"I know that! I don't know how to be one... and I don't wanna raise Bege's kid!"

Behind her, Nami could practically hear their host bite through his cigar but when she looked at him, she saw a flicher of relief in the mans face

"See! He thinks it's a bad idea too! Someone else Chiffon, please!" his pleading was almost endearing, although Chiffon had more steel in her than to cave in at that.

"Why is it so important anyhow? Isn't it enough with Nami?"

"heh?!" Bege looked at Luffy, surprised at the question, at which point i fell to the Doctor too explain the matter

"In West Blue a godfather, or a capo, amongst the five families, is another word for boss or captain, and also means a mentor, it is a highly respected position which links families together through thick and thin"

"I told ya it was a big shot position! And I want nothing to do with it!"

Nami looked dismayed at Luffy, knowing full well he wasn't likely to reconsider, idiot was too stubborn for his own good.

hearing a loud sniff, Nami turned her head towards chiffon, seeing the other woman had tears in the corners of her eyes, a sight which only made Nami's anger at her captain ever greater.

before she could slap Luffy over the head however, the lughead spoke Again

"'sides, where'd we even put him? We are about to deal with Kaido so we can't ahve him on the ship!"

Nami looked dawn at Luffy in surprise. Hell had apparently frozen over, for the moron was actually thinking logically for a change!

and if it hadn't been for a small detail he'd be right too

"Luffy we're not taking Pez **now** , only if something were to happen to Chiffon and Bege-san..." Nami began, trying to hold herself from smacking him over his empty head. A sense of restraint that was bound to be broken, as Luffy ignored her and kept on talking.

"Guess we could visit Vivi and leave him there..." Nami sensed rather than saw that the colour on Bege's face was turning ever darker as Luffy proceeded to talk himself into a very messy grave, as much as Nami would relish the chance of seeing Vivi again, going back to Alabasta just to drop off a baby was cruel beyond words.

"I think he'd like it! Vivi's dad got this huge bath house, he could play in all day and their chef makes great food too..." Luffy smiled, oblivious to the death stares the father of his prospective godson was sending him, or had been sending him, the idea of his son at least being fed and bathed on a regular basis had a somewhat dampening effect on his rigthious anger.

"...or we could dump him off with Hancock and her Kuja" Luffy beamed, pausing trying to come up with other ideas for places he could leave Pez behind. In the same breath however, he also gave the other people in the room time to absorb and panic over what he just said, the mother of the Child being first in that particular line:

"First you suggest that Pez be left alone with some _complete strangers_ and now you'd leave him with the _Pirate Empress of the shichibukai!_ "

"Please Chiffon, it's not that bad..." Nami began feebly, hoping against any common sense that she could console the larger woman "Vivi is an old friend and her dad's the king of Alabasta..." Nami had hoped to turn it into something positive for Chiffon, but:

"Your captain'd leave dear little paz with a member of the _World Government!_ " Chiffon looked mortified at Nami, clutching a struggling Pez to her chest. To the tooddlers credit he only screamed once and didn't cry at his mother's dread. next to her, what colour that had been on the stricken Bege's face had turned from an almost healthy furious red to a ghostly blue. His eyes had turned glasslike, just starring straight at Luffy, while his cigar rolled loosely between his halfparted lips.

"... or we could leave him with Rayleigh and his wife..." Luffy continued scratching his lower lip, lot in thought about his next crazy idea for nannies.

Meanwhile, Bege's cigar had hit the bedsheets with barely a sound, but to Nami he might as well have dropped a bomb right next to her head. Doing what she should have done from the beginning, Nami grabbed a handfull of Luffy's blanket and stuffed his mouth with the fabric as if she was dressing a wound, ignoring Choppers vigorous protests.

when she had finished she again turned to Chiffon and Bege, both of whom was looking at Luffy (and Nami) as if they were a painr of village idiots. eventually, through the rapid noise that was Nami''s (and indeed every other Strawhat Pirate's (including Jinbe and Carrot)) string of apoligies, Bege held up a trembling finger, his eyes still having the properties of glass, a mere moment before they shattered.

"Who's Rayleigh?" The gangboss said in a slow, highpitched voice, which made it appear as if his whole mind waas about to snap.

Nami gulped before she opened her mouth to answer, which left just enough time for Brook to do it for her, his afro covered head suddenly filling her vision

"Silvers Rayleigh, we met him when he was a slave on Sabaody park with his wife, she's very nice, she told me the colour of her panties!" he had exactly enough time to flash the parents one of his skull smiles before Nami retaliated by smacking him over the head with her climatact, intent on providing at least a bit of damage control before they had to run out the door under a storm of bullets, courtesy of Bege's numerous underlings.

"Now, I know it might sound bad..." She began, before Bege shushed her, his shock and confusion swiftly subsiding.

Nami didn't like the look on Bege's face, it looked as if it was made of stone, starring straight ahead at Luffy, whom at this point had removed the blanket from his mouth, and was now picking hairs and fuzz of his tongue. Not exactly the most dignified sight in the world.

"Alabasta king… Pirate Empress….. Rayleigh…." Bege began, his voice strangely sleepy and long drawn, as if his vocal cords had been stretched thin like the strings on a violin. Something almost primal told all those in attendance that to interrupt him would be a very bad idea.

Eventually Bege continued, far more collected than Nami would have believed any man capable of under the circumstances:

"Chiffon…."

"Yes dear" Chiffon responded, her voice full of worry for her husbands reaction

"…..Strawhat…."

"Yeah I'm here, what'd you want?" giving Luffy a harsh glare, Nami was less than a splitsecond away from throttling her captain, she did however settle for aiding Brook and Chopper cover his mouth, trying to prevent him from saying any more.

"….He's perfect Chiffon…."

It took more than a moment for the rooms occupants to comprehend what Bege had just said, his glasslike stare not having changed and his tone not having changed in the slightest either, and yet the fearsome captain of the Firetank pirates, began to smile like a madman high on practically everything in existence. It was like smashing 20 happy drunks into a single entity.

Nami thought he'd lost it. That his mind had broken from the sheer stress and Luffy's gibberish having been the final push into a ravine of deliriousness.

Chiffon and more than a few of the Firetank pirates apparently thought so too, as they began to fuzz over him like a pack of particularly worried hens.

"Bege! You're not well! Get a doctor someone!?" Chiffon hollered at everyone and no one in particular, holding Pez tightly to her chest, trying to shield him from whatever madness that had afflicted his father. Next to her, the giant man with the machinegun arm was urging his captain to take deep breaths while the giant handed man with the sunglasses was rushing both Chopper and the shipdoctor over to him. Eventually, Bege screamed from beneath the pile of worried faces and doctors and the group dispersed, revealing that Bege was still smiling like a lunatic, grinning at Luffy as if he'd just told him where to find One Piece.

"You…. Are… PERFECT!" his grin changed into that of a conspirator, one that was about to plan the scheme of the century, if not millennia. He began to point a shaking finger at Luffy, trembling in excitement.

"Bege… Dear, are you well?" Chiffon stammered, uncertain as to what had gotten into Bege's head "A moment ago he said…. And you said…. And the skeleton said…."

"I know!" Bege yelled triumphantly at her "Our son raised by a princess! In a castle! With a chef and a bathhouse and an entire army to guard him!" Gasping to catch his breath, Bege had a hard time controlling his ecstasy and all the ideas that had formed in his head.

"Or on Amazon Lily! He'd be surrounded by women! He'd be a ladykiller like his old man before he turned two! And protected by a shichibukai and the fourth most beautiful woman on the face of the earth! That's wonderfull!"

Bege had lifted himself up from his sickbed, sweating in pain at the excertion, and yet he continued until his arms were outstretched and most of his upperbody (minus his prodigious bandaged girth) was off the mattress. And there he remained for as long as what little strength he had would allow it, which given the crazed euphoria, was quite a while. Even though he started to sweat bullets, his mouth hung open and his arms shook like the legs of a newborn giraffe. And yet the man looked at Luffy like it didn't affect him in the least.

"And Rayleigh, the Dark King! With him as a mentor little Pez'll be unstoppable!" at the corners of his mouth, a bubbling foam had begun to emerge, which soon erupted like a geyser from his throat, making Bege resemble a garden fountain shaped like a bulldog, a waterfall of froth emerging from its mouth, more than a stricken man.

It would've been comical if it wasn't for the fact that it was scary as hell.

"and the best part…. (Kaf) (kaf)" Bege coughed, the toll of his excitement finally catching up to him "… _This_ idiot….." he coughed and sputtered, pointing a shaky finger at Luffy but looking directly at Chiffon, his eyes wild and overflowing with joy "….won't be raising him at all!" finally Bege collapsed flat on his bed, breathing heavily but strangely content, it was as if he'd run a marathon and came in first place "I can die happy now…." Bege sobbed, his eyes filling with the tears of relief. Around him the two ship doctors were rushing at him again, trying to make sure that he didn't actually expire out of the blue.

Chiffon looked at Bege, not convinced he'd die in the least, mulling over his words, scratching her chin. In her arms, Pez was struggling, making little baby noises and squealed now and then, trying to spit out his pacifier.

The rest of the room was strangely silent. The Firetank Pirates happy that their "father" was pleased and the Strawhat Pirates (and assorted allies) were just relieved that the situation hadn't escalated into the realm of catastrophe.

"I still don't wanna!"

Again everyones' attention was directed at Luffy, sitting in his sickbed, arms folded, looking straight at Chiffon and Bege, unwilling to give any ground whatsoever. The rest of the room had a rare moment of coordinated eye twitch. Some in disbelief, others in indignation and in Nami's case, it was a timer for when she snapped and smacked him across the room.

Chiffon came to Luffy's rescue however

"Come on Strawhat, be reasonable!"

"You listed off all the places you could put him instead a moment ago (kaf)" Bege piped in before Chopper and the other doctor pestered him into being silent and save his breath.

"we could go there immediately Luffy!" Sanji piped in, disobeying Nami's rather clear command from earlier "Amazon Lily! Kuja! BOA HANCOCK!"

"I don't wanna be a big Shot! Just PIRATE KING!"

"You can be both Strawhat! (kaf)"

"NO!"

Going up next to him, Chiffon practically showed a struggling and squealing Pez into Luffy's face

"Strawhaaaaat" the larger woman said in her most endearing and guiding tone, a smile dominating her face, part from pride and pleading "Could you look into this face and deny him a godfather like you?"

Grabbing hold in the little potbellied toddler Luffy held the baby in front of him, not entirely certain what he should say or do with the struggling miniature copy of his father, fedora, cigar-pacifier and stubble. The little tot was reaching for his face, licking his lips, getting as much drool on his cheeks as on his chin, his eyes small in concentration.

"I don't wanna" Luffy looked at Chiffon, unwilling to budge, but at least being more calm with a child in his hands. But chiffon didn't give up either.

"Look at those little sweet eyes, you can't say no to them forever!" _Chiffon obviously wasn't the best judge of character_ Nami thought to herself, knowing Luffys' character well enough to surmise that he'd be more than open to the idea.

but unfortunately she couldn't hit him over the head for fear of him dropping the child.

Meanwhile, in Luffy's arms, Pez made a gurgling sound and burped, his little face strangely contracted, as if he was concentrating on something, then the toddler opened his mouth and bubbled some more before his face contracted again

"Is he gonna poop?"

"No Strawhat, I think little Pez is about to say his first word!" Chiffon almost yelled while she clasped her hands together afraid to break the magical moment.

The entire room fell silent, awaiting Pez's first word, even Luffy managed to shut up as the little boy in his hands pursed his mouth and squinted and opened his mouth:

"Gaaa... gaaa... Gaaaaaabuuuu? gaaaa..." the toddler attempted, looking frustrated as the rest of the room gave him time to formulate the word "Gaaaa... Kaa" the toddlers face lit up as he finally found the sound he was looking for "Ka, kaaaa? Ca!" the boy smiled, proud of his achievement before he continued

"Kabuuu" the boy tried again "kabuouh?" then the boys face lit up like a christmas tree and he tried again:

"CAPOU!"

most of the strawhats looked at the toddler with a raised eyebrow, not getting the meaning, Nami and Jinbe however, snickered.

The parents of the boy, not to mention the assembled Firetank Pirates, reacted with a loud "KYAAAAA! how cute! he said CAPO"

Bege, ever the opportunist, wasn't late to try and capitalize on it

"You heard him Strawhat, he called you capo! all by himself!"

"It's your destiny Strawhat!" Chiffon happily chimed in, her whole face beaming with pride for her son

Luffy looked like an animal caught by a pair of headlights, looking at both Parents, then Pez, then Pez fedora, then Pz again, then Nami, who was looking down on Luffy, daring him to try and creep out of this one, then Sanji (who was looking at Nami), then Brook and Chopper (the formoer whom was trying to get out of the Latters' _Garchuwing_ on his afro), then Jinbe who nodded at him supportingly and then Pez again (who was still saying Cabouou-cabououo still not satisfied with the way it sounded) then Nami again (whom was getting tired of Luffy not accepting the responsibility) and then finally back to Pez whom he held out in outstretched arms, (making the rafiki and Simba scene from the Lion king)

around him the Firetank (and some strawhat members, (Sanji had managed to wrest his eyes away from Nami for a brief moment)) was looking at the scene in awe, all oof them thinking _he has accepted it!_

" _I control my destiny, not a kid_!" Luffy almost yelled at the assembly, stunning them into a brief silence, before continuing " _I am not gonna be his..._."

"KABOOOM!" Pez yelled triumphantly, loud enough to silence any protest that might be brewing in the room, dropping his pacifier, his little arms outstretched, his legs kicking wildly sa if he was trying to run out of Luffys' grasp with a smile on his face, so big that it made him appear to be a crescent moon wearing a fedora and his little eyes wild and overjoyed.

the room was still silent

Nami looked at the child in shock, before she turned to Chiffon

"Chiffon... how many times did you say _capo_ around Pez?"

"N-not that often, almost never..."

"and how many explosions has he heard recently, with all the cannonfire and big moms castle exploding?"

"...faaaaaaaaaar toooo much I think" Chiffon responded, her eyes partially worried and happily proud of her son, his first word was a wonderful event but knowing what he had intended to say was a bit less so (although the look on Bege's face showed that he was not agreeing with that sentiment).

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose as Luffy began to laugh at the beaming toddler

finally the strawhat captain put the boy down on his lab and snickered, letting the boy grasp one of his fingers to chew on contently in place of his dropped pasifier " _Shishishish_ i, okay, I'll be his goddad"

the room fell silent again, the assembly looking at the Strawhat captain in surprice, which almost as fast turned into everjoyed celebration.

A celebration that had only stopped after running out of food aand booze.

* * *

(on Chocolate Island)

Pudding closed the chocolate door behind her as she entered her luxurious home.

She recalled all she had told _madame Stussy_ on the voyage there, the danger she was in, how much it would be appreciated that Stussy helped her get away, just until things cooled down a little.

Pudding shivered as she thought of all the things she'd be looking at when they arrived at Stussy's _palace_ in the pleasure quarter, all those lusty men and, and loose women to sate them….

Swallowing hard to keep down the rising bile at the back of her throat, Pudding thought back to what she had spoken with Smoothie about.

 _"You should leave!"_

 _"But I don't want to! And especially not with **her**!"_

 _"Pudding, you must!" Smoothie had pressed on "We need someone on the inside of that woman's organisation"_

 _"But why me?"_

 _"Because you're the bride, the scorned bride that messed up the wedding!"_

 _"But I didn't…" Pudding had pleaded_

 _"I know you didn't, but Stussy might have a different perspective…."_

 _"But why her?"_

 _"We found the Body of Du Feld earlier remember, killed in a way that reeks of Cipher Pol, and Stussy is the most likely person to be one"_

 _"You'll have me go into the lions' den! Alone?"_

 _"For a time… yes. But we'll come get you out as soon as we can, I promise, the longer you stay there the more likely it is that your cover is blown and they'll be suspicious at all the questions you'll be asking about the pleasure district, not to mention all the information you'll get with you Memory devilfruit"_

Pudding had looked at her elder siblings' face and known there was no arguing with Smoothie at this point, heck, she'd known it ever since she'd seen her cleave that table at the meeting.

And so, with a heavy heart and a sigh on her lips, the young woman picked some of her belongings and swiftly threw then in a handbag, all the while, deep in the back of her head,

she wondered...

 _Which outfit Sanji would like the most?_

* * *

(aboard the Thousand Sunny)

Aladine looked sceptically at the giant in front of him, ever since the two captains had met, he had had plenty of chances to conclude that the giant was off his rocker in almost every aspect of his being, and the same went for Strawhat, in fact, after the exchange between him and Gang, Strawhat problably out crazied the giant by a wide margin.

And yet, Aladine was about to _bind_ himself and the Sun Pirates to the young captain for good.

"So….. all I have to do, is swear the oath, drink the…. Child's cup…. And then I'm basically free to do as me and the crew pleases afterwards?"

"Pretty much, the rest of us did the same, Bartholomeo has already gone on a rampage in some town…."

"Bartolomeo the Cannibal is part of the Strawhat Grand Fleet?" Aladine asked incredulously, not believing what he'd just heard

"Second division representative, White horse Cavendish is the first, Don Sai of the Happo Navy is the third, Ideo and his boys are fourth, Leo and the other dwarves are sixth and Orlumbus is seventh" pausing to catch his breath and give the fishman a reassuring smile, Hajrudin continued "You'd be the eight division!" which he punctuated with an excited thumbs-up made all the more comedic and tacky by the teeth he lacked, courtesy of trying to take on Big Mom singlehandedly.

Looking up at the giant in front of him, Aladine had never imagined that kind of alliance before, not bound by oaths to serve at their leaders' beck and call at a moment's notice, but instead be free to do whatever they wanted, only bound by an oath that was equally voluntarily...

Deep down in the darkest most suppressed corner of his heart, the part that still remembered his days as a slave all too clearly, it had never felt right to be subservient to either the world government, a hypocritical alliance that squabbled amongst itself, only maintaining a semblance of control over the vast globe by putting everybody else down, or Big Mom whose nepotistic hegemony and her psychotic viciousness, scarcely made her better than any other criminal in the great underworld.

Both had felt like another form of slavery, but one he had entered to protect his homeland and improve fishman and human relations, the other for his crews' safety.

This was different in every aspect.

This was Good!

He smiled as he closed his eyes.

But a moment before he could recite the oath and down the cup, a hand was placed over it. Looking at the owner he saw, not to his surprise, that it was his wife Praline's. She did not appear amused.

Behind her was Jinbe, his bed being push around by Shar and just behind him was Strawhat Luffy, his bed being pushed by a duo of the tall, gangly looking morbid faced musician and the orange haired navigator, Nami, that Jinbe had praised so much, almost in equal measures to Strawhat. He'd yet to see why in her case though, as she had spent a good deal of time raging at either the captain in the bed or Baba for leaving her in the sea all alone.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Praline asked, her arms crossed over her chest, looking down at her smaller husband as if he was a mischievous schoolboy who was about to skip class. Not an enviable position given his wifes' intimidating size and mercurial temper.

"Well I was about to..." Aladine stammered, his hands held up defensibly, which resulted in the cup and sake spilling down unto his vest, a sight which his wife didn't find amusing in the least. her harsh leer was enough to give him Coldsweat and make him slink back allowing his grandiose wife to pick up the cup and give it a silent appraisal.

"Oh that! I was just..." Aladine trailed off as he covered beneath the gaze of his wife. eventually Praline spoke

"I know what you were doing! You were about to pledge the Sun Pirates to the Strawhats!"

Aladine shivered at her tone, stealing a quick glance behind Praline to see the worried glances he riceived from Jinbe and Strawhat (in case of the latter it was more one of confusion and after a moment of thinking (or multible moments given his intelligence) he looked like he was about to protest Aladine making any pledge at all, for which he recieved a smack to the head from his navigator).

Then his attention was back to Praline, whom, much to his discomfort, had noticed that his eyes had wandered. The frown that had spread on her face spoke of her dissatisfaction and the eventual punishment she would subject his poor head to in the near future (even a hug from his statuesque, and slightly colosal, wife could prooduce severe injuries). leaning over him, her hands placed firmly on her hips, Praline opened her mouth to, no doubt, give him a good scolding.

"You thought You were going to do this without me!" She thundered over him making him back off even as she reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his vest "We're married you dolt! We-do-things-together!" flinging an arm around Aladines' neck, pressing his face into the side of her bossom (not a bad place to be, all things considered) Praline roared:

"Shar! pour me a cup too, and a new one for Aladine"

Shar had drunk more than his fair share at the party and thus managed to pour as much sake on the deck of the Thousand Sunny as in the two cups he was filling. Eventually, however the two cups were filled and the oath to the Strawhat Grand Fleet recited (much to said captains' disapproval and his crewmembers joy).

Fortunately They had managed to shut up the small rubberman with some meat the Sun Pirates had in storage.

Not the worst ending to an impromptu adventure, although Aladines' prediction had been correct, His wife did indeed punish him, however it could've been far worse: Scrubbing the deck, washing their clothes and giving her a fin-rub (mermaid equivalent of footmassage) daily for a week, and to top it off, his usual captains duties, not to mention they had to find a place big enough for Wadatsumi to recuperate af being stomped on by Big Mom...

But they were free to do as they pleased

 _free_ was a really good word for Aladine and his crew, and his wife, when she decided that he could have a day off.

* * *

(aboard Stussy's ship, leaving Tottoland)

A sip of the wine was enough to make her relax,

The first glass made her more so,

And the first bottle of the rich red Deesse was enough to make her outright happy.

She had reason to be, for had her little new pet not joined her cause as Stussy had hoped she would?

Indeed, the little bride-that-was-not-to-be had come to her with hope of getting amnesty from having angered Linlin by failing to kill Sanji Vinsmoke. A fact which had led to her being ostracized by her siblings and thus fearing for her life.

All a lie.

Stussy could sense lies easily these days. Not to mention, the fact that Linlin was still bedridden, was a major hint to Pudding's story not being entirely true. Stussy had also received reports that Pudding had been seen visiting Linlin alongside her older sister Smoothie, both deep in conversation no doubt.

Stussy chuckled.

Pudding had been weeping as if she had been whipped as she told her sad tale of fearing her own siblings and how much it would mean to her, if Stussy would keep her safe for a time.

The sight of Pudding crying her eyes out would make most people soft hearted, and Stussy had acted that way too, but the third eye in the girls' forehead hadn't shed a single tear, a sign that it was all an act. Stussy had seen and heard and felt the fear of what one's parent would do when their child failed them. The clammy hand of dread that felt like a fist to the gut and the tears that threatened to burst forth from behind young eyes. The raised hairs at the back of the neck of the very thought of the person coming closer, dreading even the opening of the door or the soft creak of a floorboard.

Even after more than two decades Stussy could still remember the feeling vividly, and the sight that had met her in the mirror each time she had awoken from her nightmares.

Pudding hadn't looked like that.

Not in the least.

That and the fact that the girl had played her role on the wedding trap so expertly was another sure sign of duplicity. Of deceit.

Stussy knew what the girl was after by coming to her.

And she was going to give it to her.

And get something in return.

The little girl was a member of the Big Mom pirates and she was bound to get some juicy information about all that transpired in Tottoland from her, even if she didn't tell her directly.

The fact that the girl was seemingly a devil fruit user could also be an asset in the future. Stussy looked forward to uncovering what the girl was capable of. Given that the role of the "little frightened girl" usually included a sob story along with some openness, Stussy didn't doubt she'd get enough pieces to put together the entire picture soon.

Finishing the third bottle, Stussy looked at the sleeping young pirate, that she had taken on as a ward.

So frail beneath the blanket on the sofa, her breath just a tad uneasy, a little bead of sweat on her forehead despite the cold of the room. Walking over to the girl, Stussy pulled at the blanket, placing it so that it covered the girls' shoulders and rested against her cheek, shielding her from the chill that was creeping in as night came over the sea.

Stussy knew that some of the fear Pudding had shown when they left Tottoland had been genuine. But not for the reasons the girl had tried to cnvinvce her of. She herself, could still remember when she had left her home for her first mission too, when she was even younger than the sleeping girl.

Brushing a lock of chocolate coloured hair away from Puddings' forehead, Stussy thought about what the girl had already told her. Or rather shown her, during the chaos of the tea-party a simple compliment from Stussy had prevented Pudding from doing something to her and reduce the girl to tears. Given Linlins' cruelty it wasn't hard to figure out what the cause were, and then link it to Puddings' reaction, just before the assassination of Vinsmoke Sanji had given birth to the tempest that had destroyed Whole Cake Chateau.

No doubt the pirate chef had complimented his brides' third eye the moment he'd laid his own two upon it, leaving little poor Pudding devastated by a storm of conflicting emotions.

She'd eventually realise she'd fallen for the little charmer, and fallen hard! Until that point she'd be confused about her emotions, and ultimately her loyalties as well, left open for any manipulation that Stussy could subject her to…

Everything would go her way eventually….. and the Governments' off course, but that part was merely a beneficial convenience really.

* * *

(on the Thousand Sunny)

Luffy had had a great day.

his crew had survived Big Mom's rampage, they'd gotten Sanji back, gotten some new friends, had a great party and he'd even gotten a little godson (though he had been reluctant until the boy had screamed for explosions (that's what Luffy thought atleast))

but now it had to be ruined by a boat that had arrived from Germa Kingdom, only manned by a few people (Saying that they themselves _were mere servants ot the most royal house of_... about which point Luffy had lost interest and asked how a house could be a king (he still hadn't gotten an answer))

Sitting in his bed hospital bed with JInbe's next to him, the huge Fishman having been barred from the helm, as Chopper had demanded he take some time to rest, initially leaving the job of helmsman to Brook (a position he was little suited for, since he repeatedly tried to sing and play his instrument while holding the wheel) making Nami take the helm while scolding Sanji over something yet again.

The germa boat had Den-den mushi with them, handing it to him as they had been commanded by _the most royal house of yadda yadda_

The snail clicked and rang, loud and clear and he naturally took it up

"It's me Luffy, I'm going to be Pirate King!"

it took a moment for the other end to respond, the voice was slightly confused, but it didn't do much to hinder the arrogant smugness of the owner in dripping with every sylllable

"Hello Strawhat captain, this is Prince Ichiji Vinsmoke of..."

"You Sanji's brother?"

"...Yes, but not by choice, about **that** little captain..."

"What about it?" Luffy responded, his anger flaring in the core of his gut like a rumble in the middle of a volcano

"You can keep him"

"We're keeping him no matter what"

"how charming" Ichiji replied with a chuckle "In turn we wan't your navigator, the pretty Na..."

 **"No."** Luffy had almost lost his cool at that, Jinbe looking at Luffy, more than a little worried at what he was going to do

"...Listen pirate, I'm a prince and princes g..." he began, his voice more patronising and condescending than a hundred middleschool teachers

"The only thing I'm giving Sanji's brothers, is what you gave him."

"...Royal Blood and dignity?" Ichiji said confindently, but not without confusion, born parrtiallly from not being used to being intereupted and partly from Strawhats' question

"Sanji was wearing a mask. Under it he was bruised. You did that. His Brothers **did that**!" Luffy almost roared into the snail, on the other end Ichiji took a step back at the ferocity of the retort

"So you want to take on the entire Germa 66 over that trash?" Ichiji said increduosly, his voice close to giving in to laugther, for why shouldn't he laugh, even when fractured, the Germa 66 could muster a host a hundred times some little pirate crew

"I don't need to take on some army, just **you** " Luffy responded flatly before he continued

"Next time we meet, you're the trash" then he hung up on the snail and tossed it to the servant, too stunned the man failed to grab it and just backed away from the Pirate captain, deciding it was better to run than ask any questions.

Next to him, Jinbe nodded approvingly

"It is..." the former Sun Shichibukai started slowly, not entirely wiling to rush the subject, but knowing it had to be done regardless of Luffy's less than merry mood "a captains' duty to avenge his men when they're hurt..."

Nodding, Luffy looked at his new helmsman, not understanding fullly what he was getting at "We did the same for Usopp in Water 7", briefly he cirnged at the memory of that, the body os Usopp lying battered like a Pinata before him, and how he'd been forced to make it worse not long after.

"Germa will be a problem later on Luffy" it was a statement, not a question

"We'll be together by then, and coming for them" Luffy responded flatly while looking at the swiftly retreating germa boat as it fled for safer territory

"...I'm glad You're using those words Luffy" Jinbe sighed, steeling himself for the inevitable before he continued

"Because there's something we have to do right here and now!"

* * *

(On the Nostre Castello)

Bege was fuming

the way his ship had been left af the Strawhats and the Sun Pirates, aaaand the Giant Warrior pirates, was more reminiscing of a warzone than a ordely vessel.

THinking bak at it it had been fun though,

Strawhat having taken unexpectantly well to his new godson (and to Bege's chagrin: vice versa) not having left him out of his sight (except when the boys' godmother or his actual mother wanted to hold him) while he stuffed his face with more meat than it took to feed Bege's entire crew, displaying table manners that wouldn't be accepted in a group of monkeys and continually yelling for Black leg to make more.

the musicia had played his violin masterfully however, but the constant fuzz of the little reindeer over all the wounded (himself in particular) had almost drowned out the angelic tones (who'd ever heard of alcohol being damaging with medicine and painkillers? Alcohol was dangerous with everything in the right amaunts).

Looking over the broken chairs, the piles of his men's clothes (some of his men still in them) after the drunken half-naked/toga conga-chain had fallen from the masts, the table where Jinbe and Strawhat had gotten into an eating contest with the giant pirate Hajrudin (Strawhat had lost that by a single dish, and the fact that they'd run out of food (not really, they still had a hidden larder, next to the hidden cannons and the hidden bombs and the hidden etc.)), the sofa Chiffon had shared with Praline and her husband Aladine (due to which it was still soakeed all the way through) having a combination of a tea party and rare sisterly bonding, the mess of broken bottles where Cat Burgler had outdrunk his shipsdoctor and Vito (while setting an interesting example for Pez that she had been craddling like the little tot he was). And then there was the busted sail where the giant helms'woman had celebrated with Gotti, some of the Sun pirates, the mink and, after being ordered there by Strawhat, courtesy of Bege's persistent insistence, the small reindeer Chopper.

The cracked and holed wall next to his sickbed, he couldn't blame on his guests. that had been from When Black Leg had asked him about why he'd put Boa Hancock as only the fourth most beautiful woman on the seas.

When Bege had responded he of course had put his wife in first place,

followed by his mother, naturally

and then his sister-in-law Lola whom he had yet to meet (he couldn't but her above his own mother, despite how much she alledgedly looke like Chiffon, he just couldn't).

While BLack Leg's less than enthusiastic response to the first and third place, was something he could brush off (he'd have found it offensive if the little princeling had found them overtly attractive), he was a tad annoyed that the Strawhats' chef would like to see his mother and judge for himself.

So naturally he'd shown him one of her portraits, painted by a master of his craft (all seven were, naturally), outfitted with a border of Adam wood, painted in the finest silk he could steal and in fullsize no less.

The horrified sound the chef had made when he saw it had almost resulted in Bege putting a bullet in his head (the Chef evaded the shot) which had Landed bege in his bedroom for the remainder of the festivities (Just WHO did Black Leg think he was, judging **his** mothers' stubbles and handlebar-moustache?)

When the party had finally died down, and he had been allowed out, Bege had been close to crying at the sight that met him (and only His wifes' quick thinking, putting a still conga-mode Pez in his arms, had prevented someone getting shot).

Now he was just happy that Strawhat was sailing in a different direction than him, hopefully getting into contact with all those people that Little Pez could be babysat by (he didn't really need to be an orphan to spend time with his godfathers friends afterall) and not doing something crazy that removed him from the face of the earth any time soon.

All of Bege's happy thoughts disappeared when Pez at the dinner table, began to act like Strawhat, grabbing a turkey-leg like a king would a scepter and try to force it into his toothless mouth, yelling for _bmjeat_ while holding his milkbottle like Nami had done with countless bottles during the party...

Bege swiftly decided that Pez wasn't meeting his godparents again until he was 20.

or 30 might be better...

* * *

(on the Thousand Sunny)

Sanji was almost weeping, the feeling of having Nami look at him like this was more than unbearable. more so than the itching feeling beneath his facial bandages.

He reasoned that she had the right to be mad after all that happened but she couldn't stay mad at him forever.

That Luffy had called for him out of the blue to come talk to him, was bad too, but not nearly as much as an angry Nami.

Now he stood before his captain on the deck.

Luffy was still in his bed and Jinbe was next to him, both looked too serious for comfort. Around him, his comrades stood in a semcircle, Chopper, the two minks Pedro and Carrot, Brook and Nami-scwannn (although when he looked at her, she glared angrily back at him). it felt like a trial. For Sanji, it wasn't hard to figure out what was expected of him.

Tqking a deep breath, he felt he could accept the situation.

Before he could speak however, Luffy adressed the group and him in particular

"Sanji, you got something to say?"

trembling, Sanji bowed his head, eventually kneeling in front of Luffy and indeed everyone else on the deck, Black Leg Sanji pressed his forehead into the grass covered deck of the Thousand Sunny, watering the plants with his salty tears that had begun to emerge at the corners of this eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm Sowwy I dragged you all into this, I should've told you about my family" he half screamed, half cried, looking pleadingly at Luffy's serious face through his teary eyes. Around him he could feel his crewmates begin to forgive him, their postures relaxing, their stares softening, Brook looking expectantly at Luffy while Chopper and Carrot vocally began to plead on his behalf.

Nami said nothing.

Looking at Luffy again, Sanji could see that he was beginning to smile at him. Sanji knew that Luffy'd forgive him almost anything, although he had to respect his position as captain and thus apologize for his behaviour.

"You're back, that's what matters most Sanji" Luffy said, the smile on his face speaking an all too clearly of his sincerity. Sanji sniffed, wiped his eyes and nose and begun to stand up...

"That's not good enough!" the words were partially statement and demand, harsh and firm like a taut rope, and it felt like a rope around Sanji's neck as Nami spoke them.

Looking at her in disbelief and surprice, Sanji cringed at the way she looked at him and then Luffy, her posture straight and confident, agressive and yet dignified. She had rarely looked so beautiful to him. but the fact that she was also furious beneath it all, made him dread what she'd say next.

Chopper was starring at Nami alongside Brook, not believing what they'd just heard. SAme went for Carrot. Pedro simply looked at

"Nami, Sanji's back, he's apologized and that's..."

"NO! It's not enough Luffy!" Nami protested, her face flushing angrily "I was there when he attacked you out of the blue, badmouthed us, the crew!" she paused to suck on her lower lip, gathering the courage to continue "An apology isn't going to cut like it did with Usopp"

all were silent. (Pedro had put a firm pawhand across Carrots mouth, preventing her from interupting this crucial crew moment)

Luffy looked slowly from Nami to Sanji and back again a few times before he closed his eyes and scratched his head. Even he knew what was coming. and the effort oof thinking it through was giving him what appeared to be a headache.

"You think Sanji-sans transgressions require a punishment" Jinbe concluded from his sickbed, adressing Nami with a serious expression, weighing the gravity of the situation, scratching his "But what should that be? and whom should enforce it?"

he let the question hang in the air like a lure for whomever would bite, he was visibly surprised when Sanji did so

"I-think-Nami-swcann-would-be-perfect-for-it!" beneath his bandages, Sanji was smiling like a madman, hopeful that they'd followw up on his suggestion.

"... I Don't think that'd be a good idea..." Jinbe said, eyeing Sanji's expression "Given Nami-sans' frequent put downs of you, it might be too much to put her in charge of the punishment"

"There could never be enough Nami-scwann!" Sanji protested and pointed at Jinbe with a trembling finger "Take those horrible words back!"

Jinbe smiled knowingly, making Sanji cringe, Jinbe had gotten af far too good idea of Sanji's plans. Plans which now could be tossed to the wind as Jinbe leaned towards Luffy, smiling conspirationally:

"How about Sanji-san not b allowed to spend time with Robin-san and Nami-san for a few weeks" the fishman chuckled, all the while Sanji turned ever more pale and scared, Nami nodded her support of the idea and Brook chuckled his yo-ho-ho-ho silently at Sanji's misfortune.

 _Something had to be done!_

 _"Luffy!"_ he yelled in protest "I spent two years in hell with Ivankov for the crew on your orders!" his pleaded "Haven't I suffered enough?"

"Iva-chan?" Luffy said, his face lighting up like a christmas tree "We should visit him!" Sanji's entire body turned white as snow, the very notion of even visiting Kamabakkka Kingdom making him wish he'd gone down with one oof his fathers' ships or tasted whatever it was Luffy had concocted in his absence. He'd even agree with mosshead and perform menial chores for him...

"I think we've found his punishment Luffy" Jinbe chuckled, looking at Sanji with a smug grin from his sickbed

"How's adventure a punishment?" Luffy asked, looking at Jinbe with a puzzled expression "They'll love to see Sanji again!"

Sanji was shivering at the words, the terror of the army of new kamas and their _infatuation_ with him leaving him close to paralyzed. Behind him, Chopper was wiping his (huge) forehead, relieved that Sanji had been _spared_ from a _nasty or severe_ punishment. Next to him, Carrot was asking Brook about who Iva-chan was and recieved only half an answer, making the bunny-mink squee over the sea being _truly a wonder land_ (yet again). Nami was nodding her consent, this was good enough for her, at least for the moment.

"Please don't do this Luffy!" Sanji pleaded, trying one last time to avoid a return trip to _hell,_ but it was too late,

Luffy smelled adventure,

one he waas hellbent on draggin the whole crew on, kicking and screaming if he had to!

* * *

the end for this story,

to the old readers who has favorited this story, I'm terribly soorry I didn't upload this sooner, I know I said it would be done before Christmas/Yule but I had some work that couldn't be put on hold, not to mention family buisness in the holidays as per usual.

this one took forever to finish, had the general idea down but not how to fill it with details unfortunately.

hopefully you great readers will continue on to read the _sort of sequel_ to this story I'm working on, I'll try to implement a lot of what has happened in the manga up until now, but also follow up on a few seeds I planted in this chapter.

I admit that I haven't gone easy on Sanji in this chapter, but after what he's done, he's going to get punished after trying to leave the crew and beating up Luffy nd scaring Nami, besides he's going to get spoiled in the next story as soon as I get to writing it.

the Sequel will be titled " ** _Blood ties like Iron chains_** " and will of course be posted here on before long. I'll try to make it mystery/family with some adventure and action smacked into it.

read and review if you please


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